Does Food Trade Save Water? The Potential Role of Food Trade in Water Scarcity Mitigation

Abstract

"By the year 2050 there will be an additional 3 billion people to feed. Food production may need to increase by 70-90 percent from levels in 2000 to meet this global food demand. Without improvements in the efficiency and productivity of agricultural water use, crop water consumption would have to grow by the same order of magnitude. A big challenge in water management is to grow sufficient food for a growing and more affluent population while meeting the many other demands on limited water resources-household needs, industrial requirements and environmental functions."