LAUSR

This paper is a commentary on Adeel (Sustain Sci 12, 2017) ‘A renewed focus on water security within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,’ in this volume. Use of high-level security concerns as an entry point by Adeel (Sustain Sci 12, 2017) to unpack water issues is an innovative and useful approach. However, the issues of water in the upcoming decades are basically ‘wicked problems’ so complex that without holistic, comprehensive, and sustained effort, they will not be solved. The fundamental gaps in the power dynamics between poor farmers on one side and government/funders/researchers on the other must be bridged for any long-term solution to issues of water security.