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Water in Agriculture

Major families of crops require water as follows.

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Figures on plant-based crops are reported by 1, and figures on animal products are reported by 2. The FAO's nutritive factors database 3 is used to convert mass to calories for maize, wheat, almonds, and lettuce.

Drip irrigation reduces a farmer's water needs by about 30-50%, but this effect may be negated by reduced percolation into the soil 4. Drip irrigation also helps reduce nitrogen requirements, soil erosion, and plant disease, but has a higher capital cost 5.

Highly intensive forms of farming, such as greenhouses and hydroponics, can also drastically cut water usage.

References

  1. Mekonnen, M., Hoekstra, A. "The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived products". Value of Water Research Report Series No. 47, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands. December 2010. ↩

  2. Mekonnen, M., Hoekstra, A. "The green, blue and grey water footprint of farm animals and animal products". Value of Water Research Report Series No. 48, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands. December 2010. ↩

  3. Food and Agriculture Organization. "Nutritive Factors". Accessed January 7, 2020. ↩

  4. Ward, F. and Pulido-Velazquez, M. "Water conservation in irrigation can increase water use". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(47), pp. 18215-18220. November 2008. ↩

  5. Shock, C. "Drip Irrigation: An Introduction". Oregon State University Extension Service. March 2013. ↩