Water pollution and environmental degradation have become emerging issues in China. Water shortage and water quality deterioration are considered as the two main water-related constraints to China’s economic development and social progress.  About one third of the water pollution discharge in China is from agricultural production and rural livelihoods development; major pollution source includes livestock farming, fisheries, rural domestic sewage, waste and other discharges from farmlands. Likewise, industries in some water-deficient areas and urban sewage have also seriously impacted agricultural production, and agriculture is now a composite polluter and receptor of environmental pollution and externalities. Therefore, strengthening water quality and agri-environment management from the agricultural sector is of vital importance for both water quality conservation and preservation as well as sustainable development for agriculture.
    In order to facilitate a clearer understanding of institutional and policy requirements for effective water pollution control from the agricultural sector and to draw lessons from international experiences and promote the international cooperation and exchange in terms of water quality management, the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO will co-organize an “International Workshop on Water Quality Management in Agriculture” and its objectives are as follows:

• Strengthen the capacity in quantifying and controlling water pollution from agricultural practices in China;
• Improve the level of National Resource Management (NRM) in China;
• Introduce theories and methods of Best Management Practice (BMP) in China;
• Promote sustainable development and sustainable use of water in agriculture, strengthening the role of agriculture in water quality conservation, preservation and management, in particular; and
• Help identify integrated management practices, practical lessons learned and the necessary enabling environments that will lead to sustainable
• water use and quality preservation.
  

Organized by:
	Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, P. R. China
	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Hosted by:
	Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)

Workshop Arrangement:
         Time: Oct. 28-30, 2008
         Venue: Beijing, China
         Working Language: English

Attachments:
        Attachment 1:First Circular for WQMA.pdf
        Attachment 2:Registration Form.doc