Agriculture is the single largest user of freshwater resources (accounting for about 70% of withdrawals) and a significant contributor to water quality degradation as a result of erosion, chemical runoff and nutrient pollution extending from discharges from land with farms and livestock.

Predictions indicate that the demand for food will double to meet the needs of a growing population hungry not only for food but also consumer products, likely requiring more land (current agriculture occupies 40% of all habitable land) and certainly adding more pollution to adjacent lakes and rivers adjacent to agricultural areas.

Achieving measurable reductions in runoff from agricultural areas while increasing water-use efficiency has the potential to seriously improve water quality near agricultural areas, but the key is advancing these tactics at a scale that matters.