Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap
As planetary boundaries are rapidly being approached, humanity has little room for additional expansion and conventional intensification of agriculture, while a growing world population further spreads the food gap. Ample evidence exists that improved on-farm water management can close water-related...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/025002 |
| _version_ | 1797748636913762304 |
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| author | J Jägermeyr D Gerten S Schaphoff J Heinke W Lucht J Rockström |
| author_facet | J Jägermeyr D Gerten S Schaphoff J Heinke W Lucht J Rockström |
| author_sort | J Jägermeyr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As planetary boundaries are rapidly being approached, humanity has little room for additional expansion and conventional intensification of agriculture, while a growing world population further spreads the food gap. Ample evidence exists that improved on-farm water management can close water-related yield gaps to a considerable degree, but its global significance remains unclear. In this modeling study we investigate systematically to what extent integrated crop water management might contribute to closing the global food gap, constrained by the assumption that pressure on water resources and land does not increase. Using a process-based bio-/agrosphere model, we simulate the yield-increasing potential of elevated irrigation water productivity (including irrigation expansion with thus saved water) and optimized use of in situ precipitation water (alleviated soil evaporation, enhanced infiltration, water harvesting for supplemental irrigation) under current and projected future climate (from 20 climate models, with and without beneficial CO _2 effects). Results show that irrigation efficiency improvements can save substantial amounts of water in many river basins (globally 48% of non-productive water consumption in an ‘ambitious’ scenario), and if rerouted to irrigate neighboring rainfed systems, can boost kcal production significantly (26% global increase). Low-tech solutions for small-scale farmers on water-limited croplands show the potential to increase rainfed yields to a similar extent. In combination, the ambitious yet achievable integrated water management strategies explored in this study could increase global production by 41% and close the water-related yield gap by 62%. Unabated climate change will have adverse effects on crop yields in many regions, but improvements in water management as analyzed here can buffer such effects to a significant degree. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:07:38Z |
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| id | doaj.art-822f992a84414472a462510c7a61d8ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:07:38Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-822f992a84414472a462510c7a61d8ce2023-08-09T14:17:27ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262016-01-0111202500210.1088/1748-9326/11/2/025002Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gapJ Jägermeyr0D Gerten1S Schaphoff2J Heinke3W Lucht4J Rockström5Research Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, GermanyResearch Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, GermanyResearch Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyResearch Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) , P O Box 30709, Nairobi, 00100 Kenya; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) , St. Lucia, QLD 4067, AustraliaResearch Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, GermanyStockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University , Stockholm 106 91, SwedenAs planetary boundaries are rapidly being approached, humanity has little room for additional expansion and conventional intensification of agriculture, while a growing world population further spreads the food gap. Ample evidence exists that improved on-farm water management can close water-related yield gaps to a considerable degree, but its global significance remains unclear. In this modeling study we investigate systematically to what extent integrated crop water management might contribute to closing the global food gap, constrained by the assumption that pressure on water resources and land does not increase. Using a process-based bio-/agrosphere model, we simulate the yield-increasing potential of elevated irrigation water productivity (including irrigation expansion with thus saved water) and optimized use of in situ precipitation water (alleviated soil evaporation, enhanced infiltration, water harvesting for supplemental irrigation) under current and projected future climate (from 20 climate models, with and without beneficial CO _2 effects). Results show that irrigation efficiency improvements can save substantial amounts of water in many river basins (globally 48% of non-productive water consumption in an ‘ambitious’ scenario), and if rerouted to irrigate neighboring rainfed systems, can boost kcal production significantly (26% global increase). Low-tech solutions for small-scale farmers on water-limited croplands show the potential to increase rainfed yields to a similar extent. In combination, the ambitious yet achievable integrated water management strategies explored in this study could increase global production by 41% and close the water-related yield gap by 62%. Unabated climate change will have adverse effects on crop yields in many regions, but improvements in water management as analyzed here can buffer such effects to a significant degree.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/025002sustainable intensificationyield gapwater harvestingconservation agricultureirrigation efficiencyfood security |
| spellingShingle | J Jägermeyr D Gerten S Schaphoff J Heinke W Lucht J Rockström Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap Environmental Research Letters sustainable intensification yield gap water harvesting conservation agriculture irrigation efficiency food security |
| title | Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| title_full | Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| title_fullStr | Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| title_short | Integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| title_sort | integrated crop water management might sustainably halve the global food gap |
| topic | sustainable intensification yield gap water harvesting conservation agriculture irrigation efficiency food security |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/025002 |
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