Researchers Examine Agricultural Water Conservation Strategies

Scientists at Colorado State University led a review that examined strategies for conserving agricultural water nationwide, exploring the potential effectiveness, drawbacks, and adoption challenges of each strategy. The researchers considered addressing the challenge of water scarcity in six ways: optimizing where crops are grown, deploying more forward-thinking soil management strategies, better utilizing modern irrigation technologies, embracing water treatment and reuse methods, reducing water demand in animal agriculture and minimizing food loss and waste. One of the big takeaways, according to the authors, is that there is no “silver bullet” fix for this problem; a multi-faceted approach is needed. The authors noted that each water-saving strategy has its own inherent complications and challenges.
Related NCAT resource: Soil for Water