THƯ VIỆN BỘ NÔNG NGHIỆP VÀ PHÁT TRIỂN NÔNG THÔN

In 2009, FAO officially launched AquaCrop, being the result of several years of collaborative work among scientists, water and crop specialists and practitioners worldwide, bringing together previously fragmented information on crop yields in response to water use and water deficit. AquaCrop has evolved over the different versions released since its first launch, but it always balances accuracy, simplicity and robustness. This has enabled it to remain faithful to its goal, i.e., to be a dynamic tool accessible to several types of users, mainly practitioner-type end users, in different disciplines and for a wide range of applications. In addition, AquaCrop may be considered a valuable tool by research scientists for analysis and conceptualization. After ten years of development, improvement, training and application of AquaCrop, a review and analysis of its performance and impact worldwide, including trends and challenges, have become relevant for FAO. Aware that several gaps and emerging issues remain, this assessment exercise is a first essential step towards the delineation of the future roadmap for the improvement, dissemination and proper application of AquaCrop. With that aim in mind, this report presents objective and comprehensive information and analyses on the current state, trends and impacts that the model has had on users, from a range of practitioners to the research community. Presenting AquaCrop state-of-the-art, it is our hope that this report provides valuable information about the relevance of the tools and a guidance for the improvement and the new developments of the model, as well as for improving and extending its applications, always focusing on the progress of the management and productivity of the precious water resources.