Agriculture is a major user of ground and surface water in the United States, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the Nation's consumptive water use and over 90 percent in many Western States. The agricultural industry is the United States’ largest consumer of water, accounting for 80% of the nation’s consumable water usage. Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture in India, vol. Water of appropriate quality and quantity is essential for the production of crops, livestock, and fisheries, as well as for the processing and preparation of these foods and products. Facts and Figures Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater. Source, “Agriculture wastes 60% or 1,500 trillion liters, of the 2,500 trillion liters of water it uses each year.” o 9 million cubic miles (2.5%) is in aquifers deep below the earth’s surface. Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater; Demographics and consumption are the main pressure on water; About 80% of global virtual water flows relate to agricultural products trade; Irrigated agriculture represents 20% of cultivated land and accounts for 40% of global food production Agriculture is both a victim and a cause of water scarcity. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. o 4,000 cubic miles of water is atmospheric moisture. Source, “Five States—California, Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas, and Idaho—accounted for 52 percent of total irrigated acreage.” (2005) In this Topic. Source, India uses 90% of its freshwater withdrawals for agriculture while China uses 65% of its freshwater withdrawals for agriculture. Here are 5 quick facts all about agriculture to help to clear up this question: 1. Agriculture leads the way in terms of freshwater withdrawals, accounting for 70% of all withdraws 4. Source, “Withdrawals for irrigation increased by more than 68 percent from 1950 to 1980 (from 89,000 to 150,000 Mgal/d). About 98% of U.S. farms are operated by families – individuals, family partnerships or family corporations ( America’s Diverse Family Farms, 2018 Edition ). Source (FAO, AQUASTAT) Mechanical & Magnetic Flow Meters for Municipal Water Systems, TASI Flow’s Vögtlin Supports Ventilator Development, 4 Keys for Selecting an Irrigation Flow Meter, Remote Level Monitoring with the PT2X at Clinton Gulch Reservoir, Harbour Group’s ONICON Acquires Pulsar Process Measurement Ltd, Introducing the AG90 Battery Powered Insertion Magmeter. Although the challenges are vast, experts agree that it is indeed possible to create a future in which water resources a nd agriculture represent forces of resilience, rather than vulnerability. Food and agriculture are the largest consumers of water, requiring one hundred times more than we use for personal needs. By 2050, the global water demand of agriculture is estimated to increase by a further 19% due to irrigational needs. It's World Water Day: 5 Shocking Facts About Water Scarcity That Will Make You Cry a River. Agriculture is the single largest employer in the world. At a time of mounting population pressures, environmental declines, a nd a growing demand for water, resolving the water resource conundrum will require concerted political will and action at all levels. Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of the Earth’s available freshwater: 70% of “blue water” withdrawals from watercourses and groundwater are for agricultural usage, three times more than 50 years ago. The facts about animal agriculture are pretty shocking: it causes 91% of Amazon destruction , uses 56% of the water in the US, and uses 30% of global land. file_external. Agricultural water is water that is used to grow fresh produce and sustain livestock. Rainfed agriculture is the most common method of agriculture in developing nations. Tasmanian Agri-Food ScoreCardsThe ScoreCard is a method of describing the highly diversified food and beverage industry in Tasmania. Facts and Figures. Source. Despite its limited supply, there is a widespread tendency to misuse water. Facts and Figures. Source, More than 90 percent of the groundwater pumped from the Ogallala, the nation’s largest aquifer underlying some 250,000 square miles stretching from Texas to South Dakota, is used for agricultural irrigation. Water is the lifeblood of … Source, In an average year California irrigates 9.6 million acres with about 34 million acre-feet of water. Source, Overall, 42% of California agriculture uses drip irrigation, 43% flood irrigation and 15% sprinklers. Efficient irrigation systems and water management practices can help maintain farm profitability in an era of increasingly limited and more costly water supplies. Source. Additionally, this is when the eight so-called “founder crops” of agriculture appeared: 1) emmer wheat, 2) einkorn wheat, 3) hulled barley, 4) peas, 5) lentils, 6) bitter vetch, 7) chickpeas, and 8) flax. The .gov means it’s official. Of that 1.9 billion acres: 778 million acres of private land are used for livestock grazing (for… Source, Surface water withdrawals for irrigation in the United States has decreased from 77 percent of the total in 1950 to 59 percent in 2005 (due to increased groundwater use). Products that require water range everywhere from hamburgers to smartphones. (FAO, AQUASTAT) Water Facts. Flow Meters and Environmental Sensors for Precision Fluid Measurement. Over the years Israel has diverted from an agricultural-based economy to a more sophisticated, industrialized economy with a diversified manufacturing base. An integrated view on water, the biosphere and environmental flows is required to devise sustainable agricultural and economic systems that will allow us to decelerate climate change, protect us from extremes and to adapt to the unavoidable at the same time. Water is needed for virtually everything humans produce. This week we share 15 interesting facts about farm irrigation that you might not know. Without water people do not have a means of watering their crops and, therefore, to provide food for the fast growing population. Yet even on the same continent, water used for irrigation in Spain, Portugal and Greece exceeds 70% of total usage. Agriculture, which accounts for 70 percent of water withdrawals worldwide, plays a major role in water pollution. 3 The Transvaal Agricultural Journal, April, 1908. Water scarcity is usually associated with limited drinking water, but the global water crisis effects so much more. If you have an interesting farm water fact, please share it in the comments below. Source, “Globally, agriculture water withdrawals (2,703 km3/yr) account for more than double the combined withdrawals for municipal and industrial use (468 km3/yr and 731 km3/yr, respectively).” 6, "The Loss of Water from Soil during Dry Weather", by J. W. Leather . Agriculture accounts for approximately 80 percent of the United States’ consumptive water use and over 90 percent in many Western States. Source, 80% of Washington water withdrawals are for agriculture (1.8 million irrigated acres). i., No. o 7 million cubic miles (2%) is frozen in polar ice caps. Another method is water management for rainfed agriculture. Source, “Globally, roughly 15-35% of irrigation withdrawals are estimated to be unsustainable.” Fast facts: The state of world’s land and water resources. Source. Source, “The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, has been almost completely emptied by irrigation.” (68,000 square kilometers to 17,000 square kilometers) Here are 16 interesting facts about water use by America’s farms. The use of agricultural water makes it possible to grow fruits and vegetables and raise livestock, which is a main part of our diet. Source, The world’s irrigated area expanded from almost 250m acres in 1950 to roughly 700m acres in 2000 (nearly tripling) but has increased just 10% from 2000 to 2010. Flow Meters and Environmental Sensors for Precision Fluid Measurement. 2015 State Agriculture Overview Mailing Address : IDALS, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319: PH: 515-281-5321 Sitemap Irrigation has been a key component of the green revolution that has enabled many developing countries 2011. Source, California produces two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts and farmers sold almost $50 billion of food in 2013. Though water is the most abundant resource on planet Earth, only about 1% of water is considered safe for immediate human consumption. This share varies markedly, however, and can reach up to 80% in parts of southern Europe, where irrigation of crops accounts for virtually all agricultural water use. Agriculture (including irrigation, livestock and aquaculture) is by far the largest water consumer, accounting for 69% of annual water withdrawals globally. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar. Representing about one-third of all U.S. irrigated agriculture, it creates about $20 billion annually in food and fiber.” Up to 70 % of the water we take from rivers and groundwater goes into irrigation , about 10% is used in domestic applications and 20% in industry. As Arizona’s population grows more treated wastewater will become available. Today, that number is more relevant than ever, as 18.8% of the lower 48 U.S. states are currently experiencing drought conditions. Water is the lifeblood of … Source, More than 90% of pasture and cropland in the 256,000-square-mile Colorado River Basin requires irrigation. Agriculture accounts for approximately 80 percent of the United States’ consumptive water use and over 90 percent in many Western States. In 1979, Israel’s agriculture accounted for about 6% of GDP, shrinking to about 3.3% in 2014, link.Share of the Workf… Source, 43 percent of California farmland in 2010 used some form of gravity irrigation such as flood irrigation rather than more efficient methods like drip irrigation. Agriculture is a major industry effected by water scarcity, because the agricultural industry is the greatest user of water. “Irrigation accounts for the largest use of groundwater in the United States. For the Center for Biological Diversity. Source, “In India, approximately one-fifth of the nation’s total electricity consumption goes toward pumping groundwater for irrigation.” Outdoor water use accounts for more than 30 percent of total household water use, on average, but can be as much as 60 percent of total household water use in arid regions. 4.3 Water use efficiency in agriculture 16 4.4 Virtual water flow 18 4.5 Programs and technologies related to water use efficiency 19 4.6 Institutional and policy aspects 19 4.7 Watershed development for water use efficiency in the agriculture sector 21 4.8 Water rights and water pricing 24 5 Conclusions 25 Desalination is rarely used for agriculture (1%), but its use for high-value crops in greenhouses is gradually increasing. Source, About half the 60 million acres of irrigated land in the United States use flood irrigation. Pesticide accumulation in water and the food chain, with demonstrated ill effects on humans, Fast Facts About Agriculture & Food 2 million farms dot America’s rural landscape. Agriculture is both a victim and a cause of water scarcity. Some 53.5 billion gallons of groundwater are used daily for agricultural irrigation from 407,923 wells.” It takes a lot of water to feed the world, s… Agriculture accounts for 70% of total water consumption worldwide and is the single-largest contributor of non-point-source pollution to surface water and groundwater. Agriculture is the practice and science of cultivating soil for growing crops to provide food, fiber, and other commodities and products for people to purchase and consume. Statistical Information on Agriculture A collection of useful Agricultural Statistics resources. Farming began around 10,000 B.C. Australia’s water budget Agriculture accounts for over 50% of water consumed in Australia It is estimated that, on average, Australia receives 2,789,400 GL of rainfall per year. Municipalities, industries, and the natural environment all have claims on … Here are 16 interesting facts about water use by America’s farms. Water is the most important compound, making up between 50% and 65% of our body mass. Water scarcity has a huge impact on food production. The Facts About the Clean Water Rule and Agriculture. REFERENCES [FAO] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Source, In California, almond trees cover nearly 1 million acres and consume 1.07 trillion gallons of water per year. Farmers, ranchers, and foresters depend on clean water for their operations—so as EPA and the Army developed the Clean Water Rule, we listened carefully to concerns from the agricultural community. 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