Water for Food in a Changing World

About this book

There is not enough water globally for all the things humans need and want water to do for us. Water supply bubbles are bursting in China, the Middle East and India with potentially serious implications for the global economy and for political stability. Even the United States is depleting groundwater on average 25% faster than it is being replenished. Our thirst for water grows with our population, but the amount of fresh water available on Earth is fixed. If we assume "business as usual" by 2050 about 40% of the projected global population of 9.4 billion is expected to be facing water stress or scarcity. With increasing climate variability being predicted by global climate models, we are likely also to have more people without adequate water more of the time, even in water rich regions. Irrigation productivity rose dramatically over the past 40 years as a result of the Green Revolution.

However, even if we disregard the environmental impacts caused by that revolution, we are no nearer to achieving global food security than we were 40 years ago, as every time we come close to filling the food production gap population growth and ecosystem decline associated with water diversions to human purposes set us back. Our natural and agricultural ecosystems are trying to tell us something. This book pursues these overarching themes connecting to water and food production at global and regional scales. The collection offers a comprehensive discussion of all relevant issues, and offers a wide-ranging discussion with the aim of contributing to the global debate about water and food crises.

Contents

Preface Henry Vaux, Jr. Part 1: Introduction 1. Water for Food in a Changing World Robert Sandford Part 2: Innovations in Agricultural Response to Sustainability Challenge 2. Optimising Water Productivity in Food Production Elias Fereres 3. Modern Agricultural under Stress: Lessons from the Murray Darling in Australia Wendy Craik and James Cleaver 4. Integrated Watershed Management Akissa Bahri, Hilmy Sally, Matthew McCartney, Regassa Namara, Seleshi Bekele Awulachew, Barbara van Koppen and Daan van Rooijen 5. Lessons from Spain: a Critical of Assessment of the Role of Science and Society Alberto Garrido and Ana Iglesias Part 3: Counting the drops and the mouths to feed: Food Production and Trade 6. Integrating Agricultural Water Use with the Global Water Budget Malin Falkenmarkt and Johan Rockstrom 7. Globalisation of Water through Virtual Water Trade Hong Yang Part 4: Water for the environment 8. Balancing Water for people and nature Uriel Safriel 9. Optimising Water for Life Daniel Loucks Part 5: Revitalized Water Governance 10. Water Science and Policy in a Changing World: Implications of Non-Stationary Hydrology, Ecolomics and Politics John Briscoe 11. Promises Under Construction: The Evolving Paradigm for Water Governance and the Case of Northern Mexico Margaret Wilder 12. Beyond Universal Remedies for Good Water Governance: A Political and Contextual Approach Helen Ingram 13. Water Policies in Spain: Balancing Water for Food and Water for Nature Consuelo Varela-Ortega Part 6: Conclusions 14. Can the world feed itself sustainably? Alberto Garrido, Helen Ingram and Robert Sandford

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Biography

Research Centre for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM), Spain; Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain; Marcelino Botin Foundation --Water Observatory (FMB-WO), Spain University of California at Irvine, USA and Professor Emerita at the University of California, USA.