Global food production is in peril as water crisis accelerates, say experts

More than half of the world's food production will be at risk of failure within the next quarter century unless urgent action is taken to conserve water resources and the ecosystems on which our fresh water depends, experts have warned.

- Fiona Harvey

Half of the global population already face water scarcity, with that number due to rise as the climate crisis worsens, according to a report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, published today. Demand for fresh water will outstrip supply by 40% by the end of this decade, as the world's ecosystems are put under "unprecedented stress", the commission found.

Governments have been massively underestimating the amount of water needed, the report found. While 50 to 100 litres a day are required for each person's health and hygiene, about 4,000 litres a day are needed to have adequate nutrition and a dignified life. Some countries benefit more from "green water", which is soil moisture that is necessary for food production, as opposed to the "blue water" held in rivers and lakes.