A growing threat to the worlds food securityhas been highlighted this week by analyses oftheimpact of stressed water supply.
Recently, a National Food and Nutrition Security survey determined that 63 of South Africas households were food insecure, with 17 critically undernourished.
Bloomberg reports that according to the World Resources Institute WRI, climate change and risingcompetition forresources mean that one quarter of all crops are grown where water supply is either highly stressed orhighly unreliable, or both.
While farmers have been able to adapt to a certain extent, producing crops in these areas puts food supplies in jeopardy, according to the WRI think tank, which isfocused on climate solutions.
Thats a concern given that the growing global population may need 56 more calories in2050than it did in 2010.Food supplies have already been strained on multiple fronts fromerratic weather and conflict to supply chain snarl-ups and trade protectionism.
While the impact of water scarcity on food has been broadly known, the WRI aimsto quantify the effects using its Aqueduct Food data platform.
A lack of waterwas a hidden and growing driver of hunger that affectedone inevery 11 people, the WRI said.Rice, wheat and corn which make upmore than half of the worlds food calories are particularlyvulnerable, with a third of those crops grown usinghighly stressed or variable water supplies,according to the WRI.
Another report this week also laid bare the water threat. Almostthree billion people and more than half of the worlds food production are in areas experiencing a worsening water shortage, according tothe Global Commission on the Economics of Water.
Water scarcity could cause high-income countries GDP to shrink by 8 on average by mid-century and result in a drop of up to 15 in poorer countries, it said.
Just 10 countries including China, India and the US accounted for 72 of the worlds irrigated crops, with two-thirds of these suppliesfacing high-to-extremely-high levels of water stress, the WRI analysisshowed. Rain-fed crops still make up two-thirds of all output, but face erratic weather.
But water woes dontautomatically spell crisis, according to the WRIs Liz Saccoccia and Samantha Kuzma.
Businesses and governments needed to first understand water risks using data, and set targets to align withsustainability goals, they said.
Shifting high-meat diets toward less water-intensive foods, or cutting back on food loss and waste,would help manage water more sustainably.
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