Impacts of Increased Climatic Variability

Summary

These extreme events are well beyond those experienced over the past 30-40 years and if they continue to occur more frequently in the key food exporting nations this will put the global food supply in peril. The impact of these events is likely due to increased land use intensification and increased climatic events and this will cause major challenges for water supply management. The use of groundwater, which is often a safeguard for production during drought, is also overexploited in many parts of the world. Hence, adaptation and water management options will become increasingly complex.

What is needed is a complete "rethink" of how water management in agriculture should proceed in view of increasing food demand, increased climatic variability and increased reliance in water short countries on virtual water imports in food. This will be discussed in the next section.