Food Production and Water: Constraints and Solutions for the Future

Production of food and fibre crops claims today a major part of the global freshwater resources. On average, about three thousand litres of water are required for the production of food for one person per day. It is expected that the current allocation of 70 % of the total water resources to agriculture cannot be continued in the future. Hence, there is a strong need for agriculture to increase the output per unit of water, especially since the food demand will double due to a strong increase in population and prosperity. Since good agronomic conditions can often not be assured in regions with water scarcity, the introduction of high yielding crop cultivars will likely not result in more food with less water in those particular regions. To increase crop water productivity, we will have to rely on an adjustment of field management, rainwater harvesting and deficit irrigation. This is illustrated with several examples from the field.Paper presented on the occasion of the international conference "Climates and Cultures: Perspectives for the Future" held on 23-24 May 2018