Per capita fresh water supplies on the planet have declined over the past 20 years by more than 20 percent. This is reported in a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Experts emphasized that biofuel production requires 400 times more water than fossil fuels.
“The FAO report is a wake-up call. In order to solve the problem of water scarcity in agriculture, it is necessary to take decisive measures as soon as possible, "said the head of the organization, Qu Dongyu.
The FAO notes that effective water management involves, in particular, the introduction of drought-resistant crops, the use of the latest technologies in the agricultural sector, the modernization of irrigation systems, the introduction of water quotas.
Today, more than 3 billion people live in agricultural areas where water is scarce. In some regions of the world, such as Central Asia, about 20 percent of the population lives in such areas.
