With water being the ‘least on-track target’ of the Millennium Development Goals, an article in EcoBusiness looks at the top 5 water stories in 2014.

Among these is “the economic value of protecting water” which draws attention to research by the World Agroforestry Centre showing the potential of agroforestry in saving watersheds from degradation.

The article outlines how 1.8 billion people around the world still drink water that is contaminated. According to the UN water global analysis and assessment of sanitation and drinking water report there has been a lack of investment in water, hygiene and sanitation as well as government failure.

However there is some good news with companies and international organizations paying more attention to water issues, evidenced by an increase in investment, particularly in Asia, in water recycling, water treatment and desalination technologies.

Read the full story: The top 5 water stories in 2014

Find out more about the World Agroforestry Centre’s research into watershed protection: Agroforestry systems can repair degraded watersheds