A holistic approach to the management of water and food requires: a) making full use of economic instruments that treat land and water as scarce economic resources that are part of the Earth's natural capital; b) coordinating the management of land and water resources as closely as possible; c) establishing secure land and water property rights where these do not exist; d) reorganizing land and water management policies on a river basin level. Introducing the concept of shared and equitable water use to resource allocation strategies; e) reformulating regional and national agricultural and food security strategies to bring them into line with the principles of sustainable development; f) providing people with alternatives to the use of marginal land; and g) reducing water wastage in urban areas.