Life is Healthy

As water resources in many parts of the world become more in demand due to rising populations, mismanagement, waste, government intervention, privatization, and the effects of the climate crisis, countries are going to have to look for alternative methods to balance sustinence with demand.

My first thought in conserving water resources was regarding the most water intensive crops and what areas these crops were grown in. Rice is a very water intensive crop and is grown mostly in Asia which is experiencing severe water shortages due to mismanagement, waste, population, and now climate change.

Studies are being done on this:
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Thirsty Crops
Thirsty Crops initiative

Impact of water intensive crops on the water resources and other ecosystems: The water used for various crops is not only environmentally sustainable but also economically unviable. The impact that such water intensive crops "Thirsty Crops" have on the ecosystem are tremendous and the interlinked social impacts are also very high. To look into this issue for wise use of water for crops is what this initiative is all about.

Work on the impact of cultivation of crops such as rice, sugar cane and cotton on the available water resources in the Godavari basin initiated. A detailed field-based study of water use practices vis a vis the three water guzzling crops in the four states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa has been completed. Analysis and report preparation is underway. Future plans for selection of sugarcane as the thirsty crop and its impact and the alternative strategies that can be employed in the cultivation practices is the long term goal.
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These studies take into the account the variability of water needed vs. water wasted, and hope to strike a balance that will see water intensive crops grown in such a way where waste will not lead to such crops having to be cut or discontinued in areas for which such crops are the livelihood of those living in these areas.

Of course, the best scenario here would be to have areas grow higher value crops with less water. Unfortunately, that is not how it plays out.

Here is a listing of some water intensive crops:

Rice, cotton, alfalfa, apples, pecans, melons, corn(you want ethanol, it's gonna cost you), peppers, potatoes, watermelon, peanuts. How many of these foods besides many vegetables do you buy on a regular basis? Do you even know how much water it takes to grow them, or how much of that water is simply wasted in the irrigation process? Or even further, how much water is retained in the product that can be used over again?

I have thought about it, and have been looking into water saving methods regarding excess irrigation water, run off, timed sprinkler systems, catchement systems, and other methods to conserve water resources without having to sacrifice economically. Unfortunately again, droughts around the world are making it hard for some farmers to grow even the least water intensive crops which makes this most definitely a crucial issue we will have to face in this century with the world population estimated to be at 9 billion.

Another method is water transfers, but as this document indicates it doesn't always help the areas the water is being transferred from:

Farm Workers Water Transfer-California

Drought is already changing the way farmers here do business:

Drought Changing The Way Farmers do Business

So you see, how we live in these times will effect not only our water security but our food security and our environmental security. Water is not a topic to be taken lightly, for it is our lives. In my next entry I hope to showcase some methods of irrigation and conservation used in Asia.