As part of the Design and Technology course I have continued to research the World’s Water Crisis. This post will investigate deeper into how the world is using this resource in order to better understand the issues we are facing. Hopefully, research will show possible solutions to better manage the water shortages that are planet will experience within my lifetime.
Per my last post, water usage is generally categorised into agriculture, industry and municipalities. In five out six continents (everyone seems content to let Antarctica do its own thing) agriculture is the single largest withdrawal source of all freshwater. This may not come as a surprise as it is well understood that growing crops and caring for livestock requires irrigation and, often, distribution systems are inefficient. Perhaps we picture large sprinkler systems or the iconic mosaic of circular greenery in the Great Plains of America. Irrigation is a major component to world food production yet, according to the World Resources Institute in 2019, 72% of global crops are rainfed:
Rainfed crops are at the mercy of the rains and as global warming continues to prevail, a major symptom of the crisis will be the irregularity of rainfall. Unfortunately, the poorest of farming communities in developing countries will suffer the most from these effects. The International Water Management Institute says;
“Rainfed agriculture … accounts for more than 95% of farmed land in sub-Saharan Africa; 90% in Latin America; 75% in the Near East and North Africa; 65% in East Asia; and 60% in South Asia”
The study goes on to say that 12-30% of rainfall is lost as run-off even with “improved systems”. These areas tend to have a naturally limited growing season and experience the extremes of droughts to floods. A lack of infrastructure restricts how effectively water resources can be managed meaning the rainfall to “double and often even quadruple yields” isn’t being used. Other factors such as evaporation make rainfed agriculture far less efficient than irrigated alternatives in terms of produce per litre. Farmers are restricted to growing crops less sensitive to water stresses hence why, in some of these regions, crops are monotonous and more profitable fruits and vegetables cannot be grown. Shortened growing periods will only heighten these problems, the World Resource Institute (WRI) predicts a reduction of at least 20% by 2090 for large areas of Africa;
A more detailed map of north-east and central Africa, regions already at high risk to food shortages, shows the risk that rainfall variability poses to the staple crop Sorghum;
The answer is more complex than assisting farmers in access to irrigation. As I learnt in the last blog post, irrigation often withdraws from aquifers and lakes which are finite bodies of water that could take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to recover naturally. Irrigated crops make up about 40% of food production [WRI] and will also become stressed regions;
Relying on irrigation can increase efficiencies but we must be mindful of the sustainability of the sources that are being used. There is a danger that irrigation is being abused. Much of the major cereals use irrigation in area that are at risk to water stresses. This graphic from WRI shows the proportions of major crops being grown in regions from low to high risk;
WRI uses ‘Aqueduct’, a branch of WRI for statistics on world water issues and I would personally recommend following this link to view their interactive maps: https://www.wri.org/aqueduct. These maps include a Water Risk Atlas, food maps and country rankings with optional filters to help everyone decipher what experts are predicting for 2030 and 2040. It can help us all understand where are food is coming from, how much water is being used to produce it, where that water is coming from and, most importantly, are these regions using it sustainably.
I am all too aware after researching this topic that its overwhelming scale make it difficult to relate to. Global facts are important but they can feel distant and impersonal. This led me to investigate my own water uses and the personal impact my actions have on the world’s water. I used two different online calculators to show me how much water I was using and was shocked with the results. The ‘Water Footprint Network’ told me my footprint was 743 cubic metres per year, which is about 538 gallons per day, whilst the ‘Water Footprint Calculator’ told me I was using 1435 gallons per day. The latter included factors such as shopping habitats, waste managements, driving and electricity usage. These “hidden” water footprints in commodities such as petrol and new clothes really add to how much of an impact individuals have. Try them yourself at:
Water Footprint Network calculator: https://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/personal-water-footprint-calculator/
Water Footprint Calculator: https://www.watercalculator.org/
However, in both of these calculators one aspect was the single biggest contributor to my total footprint; my diet. And the largest contributor within that, meat. I have been trying to cut down on my own meat intake after acknowledging the impacts that producing it has on the environment but the water usage never crossed my mind until this project. It turns out that what we see on the surface is nothing in comparison to the water used in the entire process. For instance, a quarter pound beef burger takes roughly 1750 litres of water to produce (global average) [Water Footprint]. That includes the masses of water involved in growing the cow’s food (98% of the total) which is the largest contributor. Ironically the cow only drinks 1.1% of the water [Water is a Right]. Or a cup of coffee, global averages for a small 125ml of coffee include a total water usage of 132 litres.
For a snapshot into everyday food water usages I would recommend checking out: https://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/. The WRI, and many others, have similar charts to represent the water involved in food production;
Nuts, chocolate, orange juice, wine and beer are also major offenders in water uses. Unfortunately, there’s no escaping that everything we consume will in some way have used some amount of water but it’s clear that plant foods have a much lower impact than meats and dairy. The bad news doesn’t stop there, everything from the packaging to the clothes we buy requires water; a cotton t-shirt typically costs 2500 litres of water. From this research I think that is the most universal conclusion I can draw; everything costs water yet water itself, costs nothing. It is treated as an endless resource by Governments and farmers, therefore, its use is not reflected in the final price. In Southern California, the price of water for farmers growing alfalfa (cow feed) doesn’t even cover the cost of delivery from the Colorado River [Netflix]. Looking at the next 10-20 years; will the future of our food, clothing and plastics inevitably start to include the price of its water footprint? At some point it must, the way that we consume in developed countries is clearly not water-sustainable.
My research into this topic will continue. Now that I understand the scale of the problem and have gained more of an insight into how water is used, I want to investigate how currently water-stressed places are adapting to manage this issue. There are many potential solutions so far overcovered; we need to reduce our individual consumptions of water by reducing our consumption of meat, fast fashion and packaging. Further research into systematic improvements may also lead me back into how the world of product design engineering can help and if not, I will hopefully be better informed to design them myself.
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