World Agricultural Outlook 2020: Addressing Agriculture Water Challenges

The increasing limitations of water supply threaten food security and nutrition. Therefore, urgent action is needed to achieve more sustainable and equitable water use in agriculture. Irrigated agricultural production remains by far the largest consumer of freshwater, but water scarcity is becoming a growing problem due to increasing demand and competition for its use. At the same time, rainfed agriculture faces growing rainfall variability as a result of climate change. These trends will exacerbate water user disputes and inequality in access to water resources, especially for small farmers, the rural poor, and other vulnerable populations.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2020 presents new estimates on the spread of water scarcity issues in irrigated agriculture and water deficit in rainfed agriculture, as well as the number of people affected. Significant differences among countries and considerable spatial variation within them are observed. Based on this data, the publication examines how countries can determine appropriate policies and interventions, which will depend on the nature and magnitude of the problem, as well as other factors such as the type of agricultural production system, the country's level of development, and its political structures. Building on this examination, the publication offers guidance for countries to prioritize policies and interventions aimed at overcoming water availability limitations in agriculture and ensuring efficient, sustainable, and equitable access to the resource.

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