POLICY/RESEARCH

Percentage(%) of freshwater used by agricultural

“Agriculture uses 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater extraction, which means improvements in efficiency could make a big difference.”

But however, conflict between using water for agriculture or for drinking would remain, according to Raul Pacheco-Vega, a geographer at the Centre for Economic Research and Education in Mexico.   He says that the concept of water for food security and nutrition needs to be extended beyond agriculture, as the existing focus on farming could leave urban communities without enough.

The report finds that though there is sufficient global freshwater to fulfil humanity’s needs, it is not evenly spread, leaving some of the poorest people vulnerable to water scarcity. The authors highlight the “drudgery and burden of water collection and disposal” that disproportionally affects poor people and women who live far from water.

Lyla Mehta, a sociologist from the Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom and lead author of the report, says that the informal and customary water rights of women must be more often recognised.

Source: scidev.net

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close