WaPOR Phase 2 updates Livia Peiser - FAO 3 May 2023

1. WaPOR Phase 2
updates
3 May 2023 | Project meeting, Rome
Livia Peiser, Land and Water Division, FAO

2. Outline
• Progress to date, by component, at
global and national level
• Lessons learnt, what needs to
improve and what works
• Summary of achievements and
events

3. WaPOR Phase 2: demand driven applications
2 main international partners, 3 components,
5 years,12+ countries

4. Component 0 – inception phase and coordination
YEAR COUNTRY
2021 Jordan, July
Sudan, September
Mali, September
Algeria, November
Iraq, December
2022 Mozambique, March
Tunisia, March
Ethiopia, July
Kenya, July
Palestine, December
2023 Pakistan, Colombia
(Egypt?)
Project activities:
inception workshops
FAO National
coordinators
IHE
Delft
IWMI
Overall on track, but:
• Implementations plans vary, need
refinements and details in several
countries. Do we need a different
tool? – up for discussion
• Way forward: regular interactions
(monthly/ bi- weekly meetings?)
with focal points from each partner

5. Component 1 - database
Project activities
Activity Output
Database
update and
expansion
New tender process and
contract signed
Level 1 global (July)
Level 2 continental
Level 3: Iraq, Tunisia
online. Jordan, Palestine,
Mozambique in pipeline
Methodology
improvements
Version 3 development,
with review meetings
pyWaPOR
QA of the data On-going (delayed)
Monitoring
WaPOR
applications
Catalog maintained
Missing: monitoring of
impact / success stories
Advocating for
data
sustainability
ETa global is included in
current CGLS open
tender
Identification of pilot areas
with national partners
taking more time than
planned
Challenging partnerships
for crop map development
(ex Iraq)
User registration no-longer required:
need more efforts for users’
community building and engagement
for monitoring applications
Global ET monitoring recognised
as priority for coping with water
scarcity and climate change
Growing number of external
projects contributing to WaPOR
expansion
Visibility of water in UN (Water
Conference) and FAO (theme of the
biennium, World Food Day)
Increasing availability of
LST sensors in coming
years

6. Component 2 – capacity development
Project activities: national level
Activity Outputs
Co-identify
issues of
concern
2-3 issues identified in
10 countries, some
requiring sharpening
Perform
Needs
assessment
Started with first
trainings (see below)
Deliver
Tailor-Made
Trainings
T1 (introduction) done
for 9 countries (exc
Tunisia), T2 (validation)
for 3
Develop
training
materials
Available in project drive
and as part of OCW
Capacity
development
with end
users
Linked to related
applications, not yet
implemented
On-the-job training
requires regular (preferably
in-person) interactions
Language is a barrier for
effective trainings
Different levels of existing
capacities among and within
countries
Very high demand for CD in
all countries
Synergies being built across
projects to scale up efforts
(e.g. Pakistan, Kenya, etc.)
Success stories from countries
with longer experience and
local «knowledge hubs»
Hard to keep interest and
motivation of trainees

7. Component 2 – capacity development
Project activities: global level
Activity Outputs
Open Course
Ware tracks
and training
materials
New track on
Concepts and
Validation starting
in June 2023
Maintain and
moderate
Google group
Additional users
registered
Organize
Hackathons
Hackathon
completed in
December 2022
Provide
trainings on
gobal tools
Not yet started
OCW tracks in French and
Arabic are available but
hardly used Good interest and
participation in hackathon
Opportunities offered by SDG
6.4 methodology review
Global data opens the doors
to many more tools and
applications
Level of completion of OCW
tracks very low: good number of
registration, but many drop out

8. Component 3 – compendium of solutions
Project activities: national level
Activity Outputs
Country
engagement
plans
Roadmaps proposed in
4 countries, linked to
inception phase
Co-develop
tools and
associated
training
materials
Draft tools being
proposed: irrigation
performance
assessments (Jordan,
Mali, Mozambique),
drought monitoring
(Sudan)
Multi-
stakeholder
dialogues
Innovation
challenges
Delayed. Started in
Kenya, Ethiopia
Identify
business
modalities
Delayed
Challenges in finding
Implementation modalities
(i.e. partnering with local
institutions)
Strong demand form other
non-project countries (eg
Tanzania)
Existing tools and experience in
countries can accelerate
implementation (IREY in Tunisia,
IMISET in Ethiopia, etc.)
Delays in setting up
activities
Unstable political context
and security concerns in
key countries (Mali, Sudan,
Ethiopia)
New partnerships: LoA signed
with CRP2 in Morocco

9. Component 3 – compendium of solutions
Project activities: global level
Activity Outputs
Co-design tools
for 2030
Agenda
Draft tool in
support of SDG
6.4 - Agriculture
Co-design tools
for climate
action
Analyse gender
and inclusion
aspects
Draft strategy,
field work in
Jordan and
Tunisia

10. Key achievements
• Country activities advanced in 10 countries,
despite travel restrictions in the first 1.5
years and political and security constraints;
• Top-up for global coverage and 2 additional
countries for implementation (Pakistan and
Colombia);
• Version 3 of methodology, with improved
data inputs and processing, and pyWaPOR;
• New Copernicus ET product in pipeline
recommends WaPOR methodology;
• Morocco: new partnership with CRP2 for
monitoring WP in Oum Er Rbia and farmers’
advisory services

11. Key achievements: other initiatives using WaPOR
• World Bank and Investment Centre: Irrigating
from space
• EBRD funded project with Economic WP
component using WaPOR, activities starting
in Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine
• FAO seed-funded application for pastoralists
• AfDB funded project in Libya
• SIDA and GAC projects in Iraq
• GCF in Pakistan
• GEF funded GR4D in Africa
• New phase of KnoWat under discussion
• New phase of SIDA funded regional project
on water scarcity in NENA (ex-WEPS)

12. Key events
• World Water Forum (March 2022)
• Stockholm World Water Week 2022
• UN Water Conference (March 2023)
Next:
• FAO Conference, launch of global
coverage (July 2023)
• Session accepted for Stockholm 2023
(24 August)
• World Food Day theme is «Water for
All» (16 October)
• Check new website for updates à

13. wapor.apps.fao.org
wapor@fao.org
www.fao.org/in-action/remote-sensing-for-water-productivity
Thank you!