Climate Change Impacts on Agricultural Water Stress and Impact Mitigation Potential

Food production is strongly water-limited in many regions, reflecting the fact that under dry conditions the amount of water in the soil is not sufficient to sustain optimal plant growth. This paper provides a geographically explicit quantification of a) the current (1971-2000 average) blue and gree...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gerten, Dieter, Rost, Stefanie
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC: World Bank 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9064
Description
Summary:Food production is strongly water-limited in many regions, reflecting the fact that under dry conditions the amount of water in the soil is not sufficient to sustain optimal plant growth. This paper provides a geographically explicit quantification of a) the current (1971-2000 average) blue and green water consumption in global agriculture; b) the current and possible future (2041-2070 average) water limitations to crop production; and c) the potential to mitigate this limitation through rainwater harvesting and vapor shift management strategies.