Aridification Threatens Agriculture and Water Systems

Aridification, a long-term drying trend, has serious implications for global agriculture and water systems, according to a study published in Nature Water. The study leader, Narcisa Pricope of Mississippi State University, explains that gradual drying already affects 2.3 billion people and 40% of Earth’s land, and that U.S. farmers are facing decisions of what to plant, how to irrigate, and how to adapt to an insecure water supply. A key characteristic of aridification is that it is not a temporary drought but a permanent reduction in water availability. The international research team conducting this study helped identify strategies that policy-makers and farmers could adopt to deal with less agricultural water, such as smarter irrigation strategies, better monitoring through data analytics, drought-tolerant crops, and restoration of degraded land to retain more water.
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