Water Conservation

Water rights or the legal right of a farm or ranch to extract water from the ground aquifer or surface water is a century old practice of “use it or lose it” mentality where water is often wasted. 

With modern water conservation technology utilizing computerized soil moisture analysis, drought resistant crops, organic farming practices, efficient water practices, water conservation and pollution control can be achieved. 

Water banking is the practice of forgoing water deliveries during certain periods, and “banking” either the right to use the forgone water in the future, or saving it for someone else to use in exchange for a fee or delivery in kind. Using water conservation technology that adds to a farm’s water bank can be an excellent source of income while making sure that water from one source that may not be needed can benefit at another source that needs it.

Agriculture not only consumes 70% of global freshwater and 90% of global groundwater but also causes a lot of environmental problems, such as drying up of rivers, groundwater depletion, and pollution. Thus, water conservation is considered a necessary requirement if we are to feed the booming global population by supporting sustainable agriculture. Generally, increasing water supply and enhancing water use efficiency via water‐saving technologies (e.g. dripping irrigation, mulching, deficit irrigation, and water‐saving cultivars) are the main ways to solve water resources shortage in agriculture. 

Overuse of water resources is still threatening human lives in most countries globally, and we need to employ water‐saving technologies, increase reuse of water continually, and also mind the risks from agricultural intensification (irrigation and fertilization) and climate change on food production.