Science Articles

Water Savings of Crop Redistribution in the United States

Water
2017
Davis, Kyle Frankel; Seveso, Antonio; Rulli, Maria Cristina; D'Odorico, Paolo
PublisherMDPI
SourceWeb of Science
Volume / Issue9/2
Pages N/A
Total Pages8 pages
Article Link N/A
PDF Linkhttps://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/2/83
ISBN N/A
DOI10.3390/w9020083
Editor(s) N/A
Conference / Book Title N/A
Flag N/A
Tagswater footprint; water resources; agriculture; irrigation; nutrition; sustainability
Other N/A
Conference Title N/A
Conference Date N/A
Publication DateJanuary 30, 2017
Article Date83
GS Citation N/A
AbstractDemographic growth, changes in diet, and reliance on first-generation biofuels are increasing the human demand for agricultural products, thereby enhancing the human pressure on global freshwater resources. Recent research on the food-water nexus has highlighted how some major agricultural regions of the world lack the water resources required to sustain current growth trends in crop production. To meet the increasing need for agricultural commodities with limited water resources, the water use efficiency of the agricultural sector must be improved. In this regard, recent work indicates that the often overlooked strategy of changing the crop distribution within presently cultivated areas offers promise. Here we investigate the extent to which water in the United States could be saved while improving yields simply by replacing the existing crops with more suitable ones. We propose crop replacement criteria that achieve this goal while preserving crop diversity, economic value, nitrogen fixation, and food protein production. We find that in the United States, these criteria would greatly improve calorie (+46%) and protein (+34%) production and economic value (+208%), with 5% water savings with respect to the present crop distribution. Interestingly, greater water savings could be achieved in water-stressed agricultural regions of the US such as California (56% water savings), and other western states.
Created: 12/14/2017 10:31 AM (ET)
Modified: 1/3/2019 1:35 PM (ET)
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