Water as Part of the Commons

When:

Monday, November 18 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern/Noon Central/11:00 a.m. Mountain/10:00 a.m. Pacific

Who:

• Martha Guzman-Aceves, Office of the Governor, State of California
• Amy Sapkota, University of Maryland, School of Public Health
• Steve Wing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health

What:

Part one of a two-part Creating Common Ground series on water, agriculture, and health, this webinar examined water as a part of the Commons, a shared resource upon which we all depend and for which we share responsibility. What does using the lens of the Commons mean when looking at water in the context of agriculture, food and health? The first hour of the webinar featured 3 brief presentations and a Q&A session. For the last 30 minutes speakers step off the call and the funder-only discussion focuses on specific projects participants are funding, considering funding and related questions.

Amy Sapkota discussed some of the public health threats to our water supply associated with agriculture, research in this area, and possibilities for addressing these issues. Her talk made the links between agriculture, water and public health.

Not only do agricultural practices impact our water supply, but our human sewage systems can impact agriculture. Steve Wing talked about human sewage waste, how it is applied to agricultural land, health impacts of the application, and why we should be rethinking how we use potable water and deal with waste water.

While there are various challenges at hand, there are some innovative solutions underway. Martha Guzman-Aceves discussed issues in CA around agriculture, water access, and clean water as well as innovative initiatives at the government and coalition level to address these concerns.