Water is essential to agriculture – indispensable for food production – accounting for 72 percent of global freshwater withdrawals. Producing enough food for one person each day requires between 2 000 to 5 000 liters of water in a year. Yet today, one in every eleven people suffers from hunger, and over 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
By 2050, global food production must increase by 50 percent compared to 2012 levels to avoid worsening hunger and malnutrition. This will demand up to 30 percent more freshwater, presenting a profound challenge in a world in which 40 percent of the global population is already facing water scarcity.
By 2050, three-quarters of the world’s population is expected to live in areas experiencing drought, as global warming accelerates beyond our capacity to adapt. Business as usual is simply no longer to be sustained.
We must act decisively. Food production depends on water – critical for sustaining our lives, our future and the planet. We need a balanced approach that ensures the sustainability of both.
Water is life, and food is water. More than 95 percent of our food is produced using freshwater, it is therefore imperative that we view food production through the lens of water availability and sustainability.
The way we currently produce food and use water is leading us to a deteriorating future — on a worsening planet. We must urgently accelerate the transformation of our agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.
First, we must produce more with less – more food, fiber and feed with less water. This means implementing integrated water resource management approaches and innovative solutions. Transformative change requires putting water-responsive approach at the heart of agrifood systems, such as wastewater reuse for agriculture, drought-resilient crops, smart and enhanced irrigation systems, as well as emerging water-saving methods and technologies. Success requires strong political will, cross-sectoral coordination and policy coherence at all levels.
