Climate change intensifies water scarcity and severely affects agriculture, raising temperatures, increasing extreme precipitation events, and causing water shortages and flooding. This accelerates the degradation of water, soil, and biodiversity, putting food security at risk.

Added to this are changes in land use and in the quantity and type of food demanded by population growth and new industrial and technological production processes. In recent decades, the region's population has tripled, exceeding 650 million people, while the regional agricultural area has remained stable. This implies an increase in food productivity per unit of area, associated with intensive production practices and greater water requirements. Consequently, it is necessary to adopt innovative policies and technologies for efficient and resilient water management, particularly in agriculture, a sector that is responsible for more than 70% of freshwater withdrawals in the region.

With the aim of promoting the implementation of innovative technical irrigation practices and the adoption of sustainable strategies for water use in agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Platform of Latin America and the Caribbean for Climate Action on Agriculture (PLACA) held a series of four online dialogues on technified irrigation and efficient water use in 2025. The activity continues the work carried out by PLACA's Thematic Working Group on Research, Development, and Technological Innovation on innovations, best practices, and efficient water use in agriculture; and contributes to the central objective of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), which is to promote a transformation towards food and water management systems that are resilient, sustainable, and equitable, recognizing their indispensable role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This policy brief summarizes the main topics covered in this series of presentations, identifying the challenges for efficient water management in agriculture, the proposals made by the speakers, and the lessons learned and conclusions drawn from the process.