Groundwater and food security

Irrigated Agriculture in Mali Source: prudkov/Fotolia

Irrigated agriculture consumes about 70% of the world's groundwater production. This equals 20-40% of the global agricultural water demand. Thus, groundwater plays a crucial role for food security. There is a good reason for this, because groundwater is available in many places at any time. Groundwater thus strengthens drought resistance. The infrastructure costs for groundwater irrigation are usually comparatively low. When other water sources seasonally run dry, groundwater can complement the supply.

However, in the long term, also groundwater resources that seem inexhaustible at a first glance are finite. The increasing, often unregulated, expansion of agricultural irrigation coupled with inefficient irrigation methods lead to sinking groundwater levels worldwide. For a sustainable management of groundwater, responsible water authorities need support in the planning and regulation of water resources. At the same time, farming methods and crop patterns in agriculture have to adapt to local water availability.