Global problems of agricultural water supply

Issue № 2, 2020, article № 8, pages 72-80

Section: ABROAD

Language: Russian

Original language title: ГЛОБАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ВОДООБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ СЕЛЬСКОГО ХОЗЯЙСТВА

Keywords: WATER, AGRICULTURE, WATER MANAGEMENT, RISKS, POLLUTION OF WATER SOURCES, DEPLETION AND SCARCITY OF WATER RESOURCES

Abstract: This article analyzes the organizational and managerial aspects of water supply to agriculture. The strategies for reducing water scarcity are presented. Of particular importance is attached directions effective water use in conditions growing climate change. The risks and threats of the water supply of world agriculture are systematized and ways to overcome them are proposed. The importance of water availability for agricultural production is difficult to overestimate. The world agrarian sector consumes 69‰ (2722 km3 / year of water), in a number of regions agricultural water use makes up 80-90‰. For poor developing countries with rapidly growing populations and depletion of water sources, water scarcity is becoming a major problem. Water is the main factor limiting the increase in agricultural production: productivity on irrigated lands is on average 2-4 times higher than on the rainfed land. On irrigated lands, whose area is 17‰ of the global total, 40‰ of all food is produced. Water shortages in many regions of the world for irrigation are already covered by pumping water from rivers and aquafers, half of the irrigation water comes from non-renewable and non-local sources. The “development” of rivers for irrigation has become a very serious problem. According to FAO experts, 24‰ of the area of river basins in the world is characterized by a ratio of runoff to reserves of more than 0.4, which is considered an indicator of a “serious water shortage”. According to forecasts, in the period until 2025 the river flow will increase by 59‰ of the area of the river basins of the world, even taking into account the introduction of future new water-saving technologies.

Authors: Popova Karolina IUrevna