Growing water scarcity is now one of the leading challenges for sustainable development. This challenge will become more pressing as the world's population continues to grow, their living standards increase, diets change and the effects of climate change intensify. Here are just four areas where we can work to save this precious resource:  

In agriculture, for example, the choice of crop greatly impacts the amount of water that is needed. The pulses crops have a small water footprint meaning that to produce 1kg of lentils we only need 1 250 litres of water, compared to the 13 000 litres of water needed to produce 1kg of beef.

Water scarcity is expected to intensify as a result of climate change. It is predicted to bring about increased temperatures across the world. More frequent and severe droughts are having an impact on agricultural production, while rising temperatures translate into increased crop water demand. In addition to improvements in water-use efficiency and agricultural productivity, we must take action to harvest and reuse our freshwater resources and increase the safe use of wastewater.

Wasted food equals wasted water!  We can all make small changes in our daily life to reduce our food waste, from using our leftovers to shopping only for what we need. 

Water is often used inefficiently in the food value chain. FAO is working with countries to ensure water use in agriculture is made more efficient, productive, equitable and environmentally friendly. This involves producing more food with less water, building resilience of farming communities to cope with floods, droughts and the ever-changing climate, and applying clean water technologies that protect the environment.

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Solutions to Water Scarcity in Rwanda In the prevailing context of higher climate variability with the rainy season being no longer predictable, supply of water is extremely important for the farmers. Farmers in Rwanda do not have enough rain for their production due to drought. There is competition for water use between rural and urban area. To reduce the vulnerability of the farmers to water scarcity, four dams were constructed by FAO in Ngoma sector targeting over 200 households. The inflow into the dams is either from the streams that flow into the Yanze River or from rainwater. These small dams are a reliable source of water which allow farmers to produce their vegetables for their own food security but also to generate income through the sale of the surplus produced.