Agriculture is very thirsty Agriculture is the biggest consumer of fresh water in the world. And demand is set to rise, while availability falls. ‘Changes to the food system can go a long way towards solving the water scarcity problem.’ TEXT MARIANNE WILSCHUT PHOTO IAISI/GETTY IMAGES
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here’s an Arabic saying: In the desert, any water will do. This is in danger of coming true in Jordan, where there’s a growing shortage of fresh water. Farmers in this MiddleEastern country are going to have to use purified wastewater for irrigation, and some of the country’s drinking water will have to come from desalinated seawater.
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WAGENINGENWORLD | 2 | 2023
These were the main solutions put forward in a series of dialogues organized in Jordan by WUR and stakeholders in 2022, on the water scarcity challenges the country will be facing by 2050. ‘Jordan’s demand for water is rising, partly because of the growing population and climate change,’ says Petra
Hellegers, professor of Water Resources Management and co-organizer of the dialogues. Reusing wastewater and desalinating seawater are going to be a bitter necessity, says Hellegers. ‘The demand for water in Jordan in 2050 is expected to be four times the replenishable supply from rain and groundwater.’