Global agricultural economic water scarcity
Lorenzo Rosa,Davide Danilo Chiarelli,Maria Cristina Rulli,Jampel Dell'Angelo,Jampel Dell'Angelo,Paolo D'Odorico +5 more
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TLDR
A monthly agrohydrological analysis is developed to map agricultural regions affected by agricultural economic water scarcity, finding these regions account for up to 25% of the global croplands, mostly across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.Abstract:
Water scarcity raises major concerns on the sustainable future of humanity and the conservation of important ecosystem functions. To meet the increasing food demand without expanding cultivated areas, agriculture will likely need to introduce irrigation in croplands that are currently rain-fed but where enough water would be available for irrigation. “Agricultural economic water scarcity” is, here, defined as lack of irrigation due to limited institutional and economic capacity instead of hydrologic constraints. To date, the location and productivity potential of economically water scarce croplands remain unknown. We develop a monthly agrohydrological analysis to map agricultural regions affected by agricultural economic water scarcity. We find these regions account for up to 25% of the global croplands, mostly across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Sustainable irrigation of economically water scarce croplands could feed an additional 840 million people while preventing further aggravation of blue water scarcity.read more
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Towards food supply chain resilience to environmental shocks
TL;DR: This paper performed a scoping review of the literature to examine entry points for environmental variability along the food supply chain, the evidence of propagation or attenuation of this variability, and the food items and types of shock that have been studied.
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The global value of water in agriculture.
Paolo D'Odorico,Davide Danilo Chiarelli,Lorenzo Rosa,Alfredo Bini,David Zilberman,Maria Cristina Rulli +5 more
TL;DR: A data-parsimonious biophysical framework is proposed to determine the value generated by water in irrigated agriculture and highlight its global spatiotemporal patterns, finding that in much of the world the actual crop distribution does not maximize agricultural water value.
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Potential for sustainable irrigation expansion in a 3 °C warmer climate.
Lorenzo Rosa,Davide Danilo Chiarelli,Matteo Sangiorgio,Areidy Aracely Beltran-Peña,Maria Cristina Rulli,Paolo D'Odorico,Inez Fung +6 more
TL;DR: By identifying where irrigation can be expanded under a warmer climate, this work may serve as a starting point for investigating socioeconomic factors of irrigation expansion and may guide future research and resources toward those agricultural communities and water management institutions that will most need to adapt to climate change.
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Global food self-sufficiency in the 21st century under sustainable intensification of agriculture
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Causes and implications of groundwater depletion in India: A review
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities related to the measurements and modelling of groundwater, groundwater recharge, cropping systems and irrigation efficiency, and social and policy reforms for sustainable groundwater management in India.
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