Abstract
Significant segments of the USA agricultural production system are no longer environmentally or economically sustainable, they need to be reorganized to reduce water stress, increase food security, maintain economic viability, and to preserve the water resources and ecosystem services upon which the agricultural system depends. As several of the most extremely water stressed regions of the USA are pressed to produce the most water-intensive crops, mighty rivers such as the Colorado and expansive aquifers such as the Ogallala are being depleted at non-renewable rates. The purpose of this research is to provide empirical evidence that agriculture needs to be restructured to adjust for water inefficiencies that are not environmentally sustainable and will eventually lead to the economic collapse of regions that depend on high volume, high value cash crops. This research identifies water-use inefficiencies for the four major agricultural crops of highest volume and value for the USA economy; wheat, soybeans, corn, and cotton, all of which are highly water intensive crops. The data are used to locate areas where water-intensive crops are grown in large quantities in water stressed regions. The data results are represented in Geographic Information System (GIS) maps of graduated levels of water stress overlaid with the quantity of water-intensive commodities produced in that region, followed by analysis and discussion. The objective is to provide empirical evidence that current irrigation water-use inefficiencies (particularly blue versus green water) are unsustainable and to provide policy solutions to restructure agriculture to be more water-efficient and thus more environmentally sustainable.
Presenters
Jenny Rebecca KehlProfessor, Office of the Provost, Global Studies, and School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Water, Food Security, Agricultural Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability
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