Speaking at the annual World Water Week event in Stockholm, Sweden, Bulcke cited water scarcity as one of the main reasons for increased tension between food supply and demand.
He called for governments to take the lead in devising credible, cost-effective strategies to address water shortages while stressing that business, civil society and other stakeholders must be prepared to take greater responsibility for the problem.
Bulcke said: “If something isn’t given a value, people tend to waste it. Water is our most useful resource, but those using it often don’t even cover the costs of its infrastructure.
“Fresh water is being massively overused at nature’s expense, but it seems only a global crisis will make us realise the importance of the issue.
“What is environmentally unsustainable today will become socially unsustainable in the future,” he warned.
Bulcke highlighted research the company has done to improve the drought tolerance of coffee plants, as well as its work with the International Water Management Institute to help dairy farmers in Asia reduce their water withdrawals.
“Putting pressure on farmers to use water more efficiently is not, in my view, the right thing,” Bulcke continued. “We must convince and help them to adopt more sustainable practices.
“Plants only need about 40-50% of the actual amount of water withdrawn for agriculture today, so there still huge potential to make savings.”
He went on to describe how Nestlé has managed to saved water in other areas, such as by reducing fresh milk losses in its dairy supply chain and installing effective waste water treatment systems in its factories worldwide.
Source: Nestlé
@nestle #Biofuels are a well-intentioned aberration. Paul Bulcke at #wwweek Laureate’s seminar — IWMI (@IWMI_Water_News) August 30, 2012
@nestle #Biofuels are a well-intentioned aberration. Paul Bulcke at #wwweek Laureate’s seminar
— IWMI (@IWMI_Water_News) August 30, 2012
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