The availability and quality of fresh
water has become a major international
problem. Limited water resources
and inefficient water use,
combined with the rapidly growing
world population, will further stress
the world's finite freshwater supply.
Competition for water within regions
and countries continues to
grow.
Water resources, along with fertile
soil, energy, and biodiversity,
are vital to maintaining the world's
food supply. Agricultural production
currently accounts for approximately
87% of the world's freshwater
consumption. In the future, the
need for and the use of water in
agriculture will increase as the production
of food and fiber is augmented
to meet the needs of the
expanding world population. In
many parts of the world, per capita
freshwater resources available for
food production and for other human
needs are declining and are
becoming scarce in the arid regions.
In the future, in arid regions where
groundwater resources are the primary
source of water, irrigation
probably will have to be curtailed
and the types of crops and livestock
altered to meet the changing water
situation.