Life’s on the brink

Life's on the brink

Agriculture and Water Scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa.

What is water scarcity?

Water scarcity relates to the water needs of the population in a specific area compared to the annual availability of clean, safe water in that area. Today, nearly every continent is affected, and around 2.8 billion people around the world at least one month out of every year. More than 1 billion people lack access to clean, safe drinking water. Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles. Water scarcity is becoming one of the major challenges of our times. If we don’t change our habits regarding the way we consume water it can increase up to 50 percent by 2030. Water plays many important roles in our life, starting with the fact that around 60 percent of our body is made up of water to water being very essential for agricultural production and food security. Water is the lifeblood of all ecosystems on which our life depends. Yet, freshwater resources all around the world and especially in Africa and the MENA region are dwindling at an alarming rate. Facing water shortage is today one of the main challenges of sustainable development. This challenge will become more constraining as the world's water demand continues to grow. The water we consume daily through the food we eat is much more than what we drink. Did you know, that on a daily basis, we use 10 billion tons of freshwater worldwide? Therefore a lot of social and environmental organizations and environmentalists are saying that our water supply is dwindling but very few take it seriously. Most of them care less about water shortage because our planet is 75% covered by water – which is why we’re called the Blue Planet. However, they neglect the fact that 97.5% of that water is saltwater and that we only have 2.5% of fresh water to drink. Evidence suggests that two-thirds of the world population could be living in water-stressed countries by 2030 if current consumption patterns continue. To evade a hungry world by that year, we need to take action now. and by action, we mean achieving food security and improved nutrition especially by promoting sustainable agriculture.

Water-Scarce Countries in the Middle East and North Africa

We use water not only for drinking, showering, or washing our clothes, but we also use it in the products we consume. The average person will need 5 liters of water to drink daily, to survive in a temperate climate with little activity. An average African household use 47 liters per person compared to Asia, 95 liters per person, the United Kingdom, 334 liters per person per day, and the United States, 578 liters per person per day, Africa is the closest to the abyss. Africa and the Middle East have experienced many environmental concerns lately. The major environmental concern is for sure water shortage; Water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, especially for the millions there who already lack access to sanitary water. Some of these countries that are the closest to water shortage after Sub-Saharan Africa that has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any other place on the planet comes the next 5 most threatened by Water Shortages: 1/ Libya: Libya's local water resources have never been reliable. Yet the larger fact is that the country goes through frequent and severe periods without fuel, food, and water. 2/ Western Sahara: it represents the “Disputed Territory of Western Sahara”. The colony is in fact home to thousands of Sahrawi refugees who suffer constant food and water shortages due to a decades-long struggle for control between Morocco and the Sahrawi tribal group known as the Polisario Front. 3/ Yemen: The country has little natural freshwater to use and relies heavily on water from other sources. Some experts project the county’s capital of Sanaa will be the first major city in the world to run out of water. 4/ Djibouti: It has an arid climate that is prone to drought and poor infrastructure does not help, and often leaves millions of people without reliable access to freshwater. 5/ Jordan: The problem is that Jordan is in a very unfortunate position of being located in the arid and politically divided Middle East while not having access to the precious natural resources, especially water, which is the main problem too to its waterless neighbors. Besides their neighboring location, one shared factor of all these countries is their lack of water resources and poor water management.

What are the causes of water scarcity?

Climate Change

There are many factors that cause water scarcity, as it has recently been the subject of many studies. First on the list will be climate change. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that the majority of the Middle East countries and North Africa (MENA) will be one of the regions of the world hardest hit by climate change in the next few years, especially due to increased heat and aridity.

Population Growth

In the last 50 years, the human population has more than doubled whereas MENA’s population more than doubled between 1970 and 2001, rising from 173 million people to 386 million people. As the population grows water demand increases; the population growth in the MENA region alone has contributed to reducing the average amount of fresh water available per capita by more than half. Accordingly, there has been a corresponding growth in industrialization and economic development which also increases water usage, water ecosystem transformation, and a huge loss of biodiversity. Currently, over 41% of the global population lives in river basins that are experiencing water stress. A growing population also means an increased need for shelter, food, and clothing putting additional pressure on water supplies in the production of digestible commodities and energy. The fastest population growth is occurring among the Middle East countries and North Africa (MENA), which are the least equipped economically and technologically to address the challenges of water scarcity. Climate change, coupled with water mismanagement and overconsumption, are contributing to water scarcity across many parts of the globe

Don't let the water run in the sink, our life's on the brink.

Agriculture

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to severe weather events, unpredictable water availability, exacerbating water scarcity, and contaminating water supplies. Such impacts can significantly affect the quantity and quality of water that agriculture needs to survive. Because water scarcity highly affects agriculture, it has a huge impact on food production. Without water, farmers do not have a means of watering their crops and, therefore, providing food for the fast-growing population.

Agriculture, which accounts for about 70% of global water withdrawals, is constantly competing with domestic, industrial and environmental uses for a scarce water supply.

The International Water Management Institute

Agriculture is a very thirsty endeavor. The extensive withdrawal of water for agriculture from rivers, lakes, and aquifers results in limited supplies for other human needs, such as drinking, washing, cooking, and sanitation. According to the UN World Water Development Report, the average supply of water per person will drop by a third in the next two decades. Agriculture remains the largest user of water. For this reason, the water that a person consumes every day in food products is much larger than the volume of water that a person drinks. Of all the freshwater withdrawn for human use, industrial and domestic uses account for 20 and 10 percent respectively, while agriculture consumes on average about 70 percent and much more in some locations. Moreover, by 2030 the global average agricultural water withdrawal for irrigation itself is expected to increase by about 14 percent.

Blessing in Disguise: How does agriculture contribute to and address water-related risks?

As far as agriculture is affected by water scarcity, it also contributes to the problem as a major user and polluter of water resources in many regions. As such, agriculture has a central role to play in addressing these challenges. Agricultural pressures on water quality come from cropping and livestock systems and aquaculture, which have all expanded and intensified to meet increasing food demand related to population growth and changes in dietary patterns. Agricultural systems have expanded and intensified in response to the ever-increasing demand for food. In absolute terms, land clearing and agricultural expansion have contributed to higher pollutant loads in water, but probably the biggest impacts have been caused by certain unsustainable patterns of agricultural intensification. The overuse and misuse of agrochemicals, water, animal feeds, and drugs designed to increase productivity have resulted in higher pollution loads in the environment, including rivers, lakes, aquifers, and coastal waters. the many unsustainable trajectories followed by agrifood systems such as crop production, livestock, and aquaculture can be major contributors to water quality degradation. The challenges that lie ahead are both extremely complex and globally diverse. It will be important for farmers to focus on efforts that increase the overall efficiency of water use by the agricultural sector, reduce the sector’s impact on freshwater resources, and improve its resilience to water risks. To this end, the Agritech sector advocates for multiple solutions, not only in terms of facing water scarcity but also for a plethora of other problems and potential risks. In the face of climate change-related challenges, interventions in national agricultural sectors of the Middle East countries and North Africa (MENA) have the potential to offset a plethora of negative impacts on the region.