Assessing the water challenge of a new green revolution in developing countries

Rockström, Johan; Lannerstad, Mats; Falkenmark, Malin

doi:10.1073/pnas.0605739104

Cited by 353 publications

(227 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…However, the pressure on global freshwater resources is growing rapidly mainly due to increasing food demands. Green water use in rainfed agriculture, currently estimated at ~5000 km 3 yr -1 , may have to increase by 50 % by 2030 to ~7,500 km 3 /yr, in order to ensure food security (Rockström et al 2007), while consumptive blue water use for irrigation may increase by 25 -50 %, corresponding to 400 -800 km 3 yr -1 by 2050 (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, 2007). This indicates that the remaining safe operating space for water may be largely committed already to cover necessary human water demands in the future.…”

Section: Global Freshwater Usementioning

confidence: 99%

A safe operating space for humanity

Rockström

Steffen

Noone

et al. 2009

Nature

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9,473

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The article presents a study that investigates on the importance of identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries to prevent human activities in affecting environmental condition. The author states the industrial revolution and advancement in human civilization has caused the unstability of the environmental state that is less conducive for humans to live and affect their health condition. The author notes that planetary boundaries served a control variables to secure the safety of its citizen as well as protect the environment from shifting to dangerous levels. It also cites the different planetary boundaries, along with its impact on climate change and Earth system degradation

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Section: Global Freshwater Usementioning

confidence: 99%

A safe operating space for humanity

Rockström

Steffen

Noone

et al. 2009

Nature

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9,473

5,320

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“…Vicious positive feedback between water scarcity, food production constraints, undernourishment and poverty has tended to delay socio-economic development in water-scarce regions in Sub-saharan Africa [24,44,45].…”

Section: Long-term Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By reducing these disturbances, yields could be considerably increased. Such agriculture is referred to as 'triply green' (green for productivity increase, sustainability and rainfed agriculture [24]). In a systematic series of case studies, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) has recently showed that with improved land and water management practices, yield gaps can be reduced to half in the Mediterranean region [25].…”

Section: (Iii) Dry Spellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing water scarcity in agriculture: future challenge to global water security

Falkenmark

2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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240

152

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As water is an essential component of the planetary life support system, water deficiency constitutes an insecurity that has to be overcome in the process of socio-economic development. The paper analyses the origin and appearance of blue as well as green water scarcity on different scales and with particular focus on risks to food production and water supply for municipalities and industry. It analyses water scarcity originating from both climatic phenomena and water partitioning disturbances on different scales: crop field, country level and the global circulation system. The implications by 2050 of water scarcity in terms of potential country-level water deficits for food self-reliance are analysed, and the compensating dependence on trade in virtual water for almost half the world population is noted. Planetary-scale conditions for sustainability of the global water circulation system are discussed in terms of a recently proposed Planetary Freshwater Boundary, and the consumptive water use reserve left to be shared between water requirements for global food production, fuelwood production and carbon sequestration is discussed. Finally, the importance of a paradigm shift in the further conceptual development of water security is stressed, so that adequate attention is paid to water's fundamental role in both natural and socio-economic systems.

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“…Even if recent studies emphasise the importance of green water on ensuring water and water-dependent food security through sustaining rain-fed crop production (Falkenmark and Rockström, 2004;CAWMA, 2007;Rockström et al, 2007), hitherto, green water volumes have rarely been estimated. The present research analyses the current importance of green water within international agricultural crop trade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%