Student Article High School Science Journal Author: Nandan Thor

Water Issue

July 19, 2007

Will there be enough water to grow food for this rapidly growing population?  No.  It is necessary to develop a method to either desalinate ocean water inexpensively or economically transport polar ice caps to a more accessible place.  In both cases, it is an issue of transporting water in a cost effective manner.  The majority of water is used in agriculture to water plants and provide hydration for animals.  If there was less of a demand for livestock, there would be less demand for water and it would no longer be an issue. 

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization predict that food production will have to double by 2025.  This will make the amount of water consumed by crops double.  The volume of water consumed by crops is about 3,200 billion cubic meters per year.  About the same amount is used by other crops and agricultural fields.  This leads to about 7,500 billion cubic meters of water per year to supply crop ecosystems worldwide.  Another factor is grazing and pastureland which needs about 5,800 billion cubic meters.  Also, evaporation accounts for 500 billion cubic meters.  This comes to a grand total of 13,800 billion cubic meters of water per year to produce food.  This is 20% of the global water evaporated and transpired.

      These are all alarming facts, but what can we do?  We can not cut down food production – there is enough famine in this world as it is.  The amount of rainwater cannot be increased, but the use of the rainwater can be much more efficient.  This efficiency can be produced through special farming methods such as mulching, contouring and terracing.  Saving of water can also be achieved by more efficient irrigation methods (improved sprinkler systems, drip irrigation, night irrigation and surge flow).  There is the idea that additional water can be diverted from other uses to irrigation but this can have disastrous environmental and economic consequences.  The consequences can result in loss of freshwater ecosystems, decline in world fisheries, and extinction of many aquatic animals.  As it is, humans are using 54% of the world’s runoff. 

      Irrigation projects are not economically viable, and fewer and fewer sites qualify as acceptable (both ecologically and socially).  Because of this, the population has been growing faster than advances in irrigation.  If this continues, the land will be less suited for growing crops and they will necessitate more water to flush salts from the soil.  Throughout the world, groundwater and aquifers are used faster than they can be replaced.   This will, undoubtedly, lead to horrific consequences.  Rivers, throughout the world, are being so overused that they release little to no water to the ocean. 

      200 years ago, Thomas Malthus proposed that the population will grow faster than the ability to grow food.  Also, he thought that the population will deplete the global food supply.  However, he did not account for advances in technology (GM crops and new farming methods and tools).  Because of these technologies, grain production increased by 141%, while the population grew by 122%.  However, are these forms of technology enough?  No, we must find a way to tap into the 99% of untapped, inaccessible water. 

 
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