This is the conclusion of the latest report issued by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which estimates that of this total, 1.5 billion are suffering due to a severe shortage of water.
According to the agency, the amount of water available for each person living on the planet has also dramatically decreased to a level fivefold less than that of 20 years ago. The UN agency warns that if the current approach to water usage will not be changed for one that is more sustainable, not only will the number of people affected by water shortage rise but those who suffer due to hunger will also rise since water is essential for food production.
The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said, “With this report, the FAO is sending a strong message: water shortages and scarcity in agriculture must be addressed immediately and boldly,” adding that “water is essential, not only for agriculture but for livelihoods and civilizations to continue.”
The FAO State of Food and Agriculture 2020 report revealed that in Sub-Saharan Africa alone 50 million people live in areas that have been severely impacted by drought which causes the destruction of crops every three years.
About 11% of the total cropland surface in the world, i.e. 128 million hectares, that relies on rainwater experiences frequent drought which also affects 14% of the pasturelands on the planet.
The increase in the areas affected by droughts stems from global warming and extensive agricultural practices which require huge amounts of water to produce crops as well as a lack of irrigation.
The FAO recommends that sustainable irrigation systems are established in areas that require water, more effective water management is implemented and investment in drought-tolerant crops is also made in order to tackle this problem. About 60% of the entire global crop production comes from zones which are rainwater reliant and 80% of cropland benefits from access to irrigation. However, this does not mean that all irrigation techniques are appropriate as unfortunately over 60% of irrigated land under cultivation is highly inefficient in terms of water usage.
According to FAO, small-scale farms have much more efficient irrigation systems than large-scale farming enterprises. However, the majority of cropland is in the hands of mass farming companies with the FAO estimating that as much as 70% of land under cultivation is owned by only 1% of all farming companies. To curb increasing droughts, agricultural schemes have to be radically changed and be based on small-scale farming rather than massive enterprises since the former works much more in alignment with sustainable development standards, the agency concludes.
The FAO report indicates that farmers have already been seriously affected by water shortages. About 1.2 billion people inhabit areas where agriculture has been severely impacted by water scarcity – 40% in Eastern and South-eastern Asia and a smaller percentage in Southern Asia but Central Asia, Western Asia as well as Northern Africa are also experiencing severe droughts. Meanwhile in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, and Oceania, only 4% of cropland is impacted by a shortage of water.
The UN agency emphasizes that one way to reduce wastage would entail a change of attitude towards water. Whereas water is currently perceived to be a free commodity which leads to its limitless consumption, it should instead begin to be considered as an economic commodity with has a defined price. This could force consumers and large companies to use it more wisely and efficiently.
