Contents Introduction: Background on the Middle East & North Africa region The countries of the region A varied set of countries * Wide structural differences and diverse natural endowments Global and regional trends Sluggish growth, poor fiscal outlook and low investor confidence * Trade and food security * Political change * Demographic trends and pressures * The effects of conflict Water in the region Water scarcity is a common thread * Demographic pressures are contributing to scarcity * Economic changes are also exacerbating scarcity * The faint but clear voice of the environment and of water''s ecological services * Water scarcity and climate change * Water scarcity and the need for an integrated approach Agriculture The importance of agriculture in the Middle East & North Africa * Pressures on agriculture * Agriculture and water scarcity * Agriculture and climate change * Competition for water and the case for transfer of water out of agriculture * Agriculture and rural poverty * Perceived links between water, agriculture and food security Water and conflict PART I: CHALLENGES Chapter 1: The challenge of water and agriculture and the drivers of water scarcity Water resources and uses Water uses by sector Climate and farming systems The contribution of agriculture Food security and agricultural water management Food production and consumption in the Middle East & North Africa * Food security and insecurity * Impacts of conflict on food security * Can food insecurity drive conflict? * Links between agriculture and food security Recent trends: an agriculture already under stress Land and water use in agriculture * Productivity, technology and innovation * Market orientation * Policies, institutions and public goods * Agricultural heritage and conservation Irrigation in the Middle East & North Africa The importance of irrigation in the region * Agricultural water withdrawals * Types of irrigation in the region Drivers of scarcity and the challenge of water for agriculture Chapter 2: Climate change and its expected impacts on the farming systems of the region Climate change events anticipated in the Middle East & North Africa Expected impacts of climate change on agricultural water and farming Water resources * Irrigation * Crop and livestock yields and production * Impacts by farming system Readiness for climate change Strategic preparedness Research on issues of agriculture and climate change The region''s contribution to climate change Chapter 3: Water and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa A deadly water conflict The nature and role of conflict in the water sector of the region Why does conflict so often arise over water? The nature of the resource * Social and institutional specifics of water * Political economy and power relations over water Types of water conflict in the region A classification of transboundary conflict * A classification of conflict at the national or sectoral level * A classification of conflict at the local level The challenge of transboundary water A fertile field for conflict in the region * Scant cooperation to date * Pointers for the future Conflict at the national or inter-sectoral level Conflicts over access to water and water-related services * Conflict of water-related policy with other interests * Conflict with environmental needs or resource sustainability Conflict at the local level Conflicts arising from local adoption of new technology * Conflict provoked by state intervention at the local level Growing pressures to water conflict in the region Changes in patterns of demand * Changes on the supply side * The changing institutional context and power relations Water and conflict in the Syrian crisis Water and the causes of the Syrian crisis * The role of drought in the Syria crisis * How could this happen in a country that has so developed its water resources for agriculture? * Conclus.