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Viewpoint: Water, agriculture & poverty in an era of climate change: Why do we know so little?

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  • Balasubramanya, Soumya
  • Stifel, David

Abstract

Understanding the complex relationship between water, agriculture and poverty (WAP) is essential for informed policy-making in light of increasing demand for scarce water resources and greater climatic variability. Yet, our understanding of the WAP nexus remains surprisingly undeveloped and dispersed across multiple disciplines due to conceptual (biophysical and economic) and measurement issues. We argue that water for agriculture will need to be better managed for it to contribute to reductions in poverty and vulnerabilities. Moreover, this management will need to consider not just quantities of water, but the quality of the water and the multiple agricultural and non-agricultural uses. For this reason, expanding research in WAP needs to involve interdisciplinary efforts. We identify three key knowledge gaps in WAP that are particularly pressing in light of greater climatic variability. These are climate change adaptation, over-abstraction of groundwater, and water quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Balasubramanya, Soumya & Stifel, David, 2020. "Viewpoint: Water, agriculture & poverty in an era of climate change: Why do we know so little?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:93:y:2020:i:c:s0306919220301093
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101905
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    Cited by:

    1. Kafle, Kashi & Omotilewa, Oluwatoba J., 2021. "Who is likely to benefit from public and private sector investments in farmer-led irrigation? Evidence from Ethiopia," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313964, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Caviglia-Harris, Jill & Biggs, Trent & Ferreira, Elvino & Harris, Daniel W. & Mullan, Katrina & Sills, Erin O., 2021. "The color of water: The contributions of green and blue water to agricultural productivity in the Western Brazilian Amazon," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Suresh, Kanesh & Khanal, Uttam & Wilson, Clevo & Managi, Shunsuke & Quayle, Annette & Santhirakumar, Samithamby, 2021. "An economic analysis of agricultural adaptation to climate change impacts in Sri Lanka: An endogenous switching regression analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    4. Jordan, Cristian & Donoso, Guillermo & Speelman, Stijn, 2021. "Measuring the effect of improved irrigation technologies on irrigated agriculture. A study case in Central Chile," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    5. Ran Zhu & Yiping Fang, 2022. "Application of a Water Supply-Demand Balance Model to Set Priorities for Improvements in Water Supply Systems: A Case Study from the Koshi River Basin, Nepal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Urfels, Anton & Mausch, Kai & Harris, Dave & McDonald, Andrew J. & Kishore, Avinash & Balwinder-Singh, & van Halsema, Gerardo & Struik, Paul C. & Craufurd, Peter & Foster, Timothy & Singh, Vartika & K, 2023. "Farm size limits agriculture's poverty reduction potential in Eastern India even with irrigation-led intensification," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    7. Lefore, Nicole & Closas, Alvar & Schmitter, Petra, 2021. "Solar for all: A framework to deliver inclusive and environmentally sustainable solar irrigation for smallholder agriculture," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    8. Shen, Jinlong & Zhao, Yekun & Song, Jianfeng, 2022. "Analysis of the regional differences in agricultural water poverty in China: Based on a new agricultural water poverty index," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    9. Young, Sera L., 2021. "Viewpoint: The measurement of water access and use is key for more effective food and nutrition policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    10. Kari E. R. Heerman & Ian M. Sheldon, 2022. "Sustainable agricultural production, income, and eco‐labeling: What can be learned from a modern Ricardian approach?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1614-1636, December.
    11. Xiukang Wang, 2022. "Managing Land Carrying Capacity: Key to Achieving Sustainable Production Systems for Food Security," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-21, March.
    12. Christopher B. Barrett, 2021. "Overcoming Global Food Security Challenges through Science and Solidarity," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 422-447, March.

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