Water: a wasted resource?

This blog provides the setting for the discussion of water use within agriculture. It aims to offer more than a description of current trends and whimsical facts, but also opinions on some of the issues that are being thrown around in a vast arena of water scarcity debates.

The problem is not the scarcity of water but the inefficiency of its usage that means water is wasted. This first blog post sets the scene for this idea whilst future blog posts will examine this idea within the academic debate and offer possible solutions.

What is the link between water and agriculture? Water is used in all aspects of agriculture from growing crops and rearing livestock to transportation and machinery and is therefore a vital resource in that it provides a food source for the world’s 7 billion population. UNESCO (2003) estimated that 70% of water withdrawals are used within agriculture. This number increases in developing countries, such as those in Africa, to 82%.

Agriculture in Africa (young farmers foundation)

In low income countries in Africa were water resources are relatively scarce, it is important that the water is used effectively and efficiently in order to produce food for the population.  In 2005, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment estimated that between 15-35% of irrigation withdrawals are unsustainable because they withdraw more water than they need and a lot is wasted. Wasted water means that it is not directly taken up by the crop to promote growth. These inefficient irrigation practices put a constraint on future food production and therefore solutions to this issue must be considered.