GEF

Unit 3  |  Primary Sustainability Issues 75 polluted and contains levels of biological contaminants, which make it unsafe to use. Effective solutions to contaminated water involve sewage system upgrades and expensive water treatment facilities. However, many communities can take advantage of affordable approaches, such as portable water testing and simple filtration devices. In the developed world, industrialization has caused a surge in water use. From 1900 to 2000, world population tripled, while water use increased six-fold. This intensive use of water stresses available supplies from groundwater , lakes, and rivers. Some of the world’s largest and most heavily used rivers (the Yangtze INDUSTRIALIZATION The process of social and economic change from an agricultural society to an industrial society. GROUNDWATER Fresh water supplies, such as aquifers, located under- ground, often supplying wells, springs, and agricul- tural irrigation. SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS Farming First is a coalition of 180 organizations representing the world’s farmers, scientists, engineers, agricultural industries, and governmental agricultural organizations. They have adopted six principles of action towards the goal of worldwide sustainable agriculture: 1. Safeguard natural resources through sustainable land use practices such as no-till farming, watershed protection, habitat and biodiversity protection, ecosystem services, and sound management of fertilizers and pesticides. 2. Share knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices, incorporating local knowledge. 3. Build local access and capacity through better local access to land and water resources, microfinance services, support for women farmers, improved roads, ports, and supply networks. 4. Protect harvests through improved storage and transport, education about sustainable consumption and production, and managing weather and market risks. 5. Enable more transparent and equitable pricing for farm goods that does not favor large-scale corporate agriculture over smaller, and often favors more sustainable farms. 6. Prioritize agricultural research, locally relevant crops, stewardship techniques, and adaptation to climate change.