Global Water Scarcity Assessment Incorporating Green Water in Crop Production

International audienceWater scarcity is the condition under which the water demands of agriculture and other economic sectors cannot be satisfied by water availability (Oki & Kanae, 2006). Cropland expansion, industrial development, and population growth have led to increasing water withdrawals and water scarcity in many regions of the world (Falkenmark, 2013; Postel et al., 1996; Qin et al., 2019; Schewe et al., 2014). Water scarcity, which is recognized as a global challenge, has been studied comprehensively since the late 1990s (J. Liu et al., 2017). The most commonly used water scarcity index (WSI) is the blue WSI (hereafter referred to as the WSI BW), which is defined as the supply/availability ratio of blue water, where blue water is usable freshwater from streams, lakes, and groundwater. Current estimates of the WSI BW indicate severe water scarcity in the central and southwestern parts of the Unite