Dried-up and polluted rivers, damaged ecosystems, and poor people without adequate access to water are a few of the most obvious symptoms of what is rapidly becoming a global water crisis. Fueling the crisis are increasing competition for water and water scarcity driven by population growth and additional demands for water by agriculture, cities and industries. IWMI Water Scarcity Studies show that if current trends continue, large areas of the world will face physical water scarcity-a condition where there is not enough water to meet all agricultural, domestic, industrial and environmental needs. Much of the developing world is already suffering from what we call economic water scarcity-where a lack of human and/or financial resources constrains the ability to tap the water needed to meet human needs. But there are actions we can take now to resolve the crisis. The objective of this paper is to define the nature and extent of the crisis, and how improvements in agricultural water use are a key part of the solution.
The amount of additional irrigation needed in the future is at the heart of the debate on water for food and environmental security. Additional irrigation may help ensure food security, but often at high environmental and financial costs. Increasing the productivity of water in agriculture is an attractive option. By producing more food with less water, water can be made available to other environmental and urban uses. Our research has shown that by increasing productivity of irrigated water by 60% and rainfed agriculture by 30% over the next 25 years, it is possible to produce enough food globally, while reducing irrigation withdrawals. Increasing productivity of water to these levels will require several simultaneous agricultural improvements in the fields of crop breeding, soil and nutrient management, policies and institutions, co-managing water for agriculture and the environment, water management in irrigation, and innovative poverty-focused approaches.