Agriculture’s Water Economy: Agricultural Symposium 2016

Agriculture’s water economy has demonstrated growing signs of strain. Recent and persistent extreme weather-related events have highlighted the vulnerability of food and agricultural production to substantial variations in water availability. Consistent water availability is critical to agricultural production everywhere, and intensifying scarcity presents global agriculture with a formidable long-term challenge. Agricultural production has evolved, to a significant extent, on the basis of available water resources, both surface water and groundwater. However, there are growing concerns about the long-term trajectories of water availability and the potential implications for global agriculture. The 2016 Agricultural Symposium, “Agriculture’s Water Economy” explored the dynamic link between agriculture and water, the role of markets and institutions, and the path forward. The first day of the symposium discussed how the outlook for agriculture depends on long-term water availability, and how the challenges of water scarcity might extend beyond the farm gate. The second day of the symposium discussed how the agricultural sector might adapt through investment, and the role of markets and institutions in addressing issues of long-term water scarcity.