BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 25. The Netherlands stands to gain a great deal from Azerbaijan's water management expertise, the Netherlands' special envoy for water resources Meike van Ginneken said during a training session at ADA University, Trend reports.
“The Netherlands and Azerbaijan are similar countries in terms of water resource management. We have considerable experience in water management that we can share with Azerbaijan. This applies to technologies, data processing necessary for water management, and water pollution control. At the same time, we can learn a lot from Azerbaijan, which has also gained useful experience for us. During my visit to Azerbaijan, I aim to understand how we can support our universities, scientific institutions, and companies, as well as study the methods that Azerbaijan applies in the field of water resources management and adaptation to climate change,” she said.
Meike van Ginneke noted that, in reviewing the measures proposed in the World Bank report on Azerbaijan, three main categories could be identified.
"First, engineering and technological measures. Improving irrigation efficiency in farms is becoming important in times of water shortage. The government of Azerbaijan is seeking to expand irrigation areas, but this requires doubling efforts to improve water efficiency and reduce water leakage. The rehabilitation and modernization of the hydro-technical infrastructure, mostly built in Soviet times, is also an important task," Meike van Ginneken said.
According to her, the second is spatial planning.
"The report emphasizes the need to reform agricultural subsidies in such a way as to promote adaptation to climate change. Globally, agricultural subsidies amount to about $680 billion a year and are often in the wrong direction. As a result, 70 percent of deforestation is related to agricultural subsidies. Reforming agricultural subsidies, including in Azerbaijan, can change the structure of crops, persuade farmers to use less water-intensive crops, and help small farmers adapt to the new conditions. Currently, the majority of subsidies, both in Azerbaijan and elsewhere, go to large producers. Thus, an integrated approach to engineering and technological measures, spatial planning, and reform of agricultural subsidies will enable Azerbaijan to effectively cope with water shortages and increase the resilience of agriculture to climate change," the special envoy added.
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