The State of Food and Agriculture 2020: Overcoming water challenges in agriculture

More than three billion people live in agricultural areas with high to very high levels of water shortages and scarcity, and almost half of them face severe constraints.

Furthermore, available freshwater resources per person have declined by more than 20 percent over the past two decades, underscoring the importance of producing more with less, especially in the agriculture sector, the world's largest user.

Improved water management, supported by effective governance and strong institutions - including secure water tenure and rights, underpinned by sound water accounting and auditing - will be essential to ensure global food security and nutrition, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2020 - a flagship report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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