Meat-eaters soak up the world's water

[Guest guest]

International agribusiness and chemical companies are

in the process of trying to monopolize all food and water

on the planet.

 

Then it will be the case of pay or die, that is if you can

with your new job as a serf with the new world order. F.

 

 

 

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/sciences/story/0,12243,1288851,00.html

 

Meat-eaters soak up the world's water

 

A change in diets may be necessary to enable

developing countries to feed their people, say

scientists

 

John Vidal

Monday August 23, 2004

The Guardian

 

Governments may have to persuade people to eat less

meat because of increasing demands on water supplies,

according to agricultural scientists investigating how

the world can best feed itself.

 

They say countries with little water may choose not to

grow crops but trade in " virtual water " , importing

food from countries which have large amounts of water

to save their supplies for domestic or high-value

uses.

 

With about 840 million people in the world

undernourished, and a further 2 billion expected to be

born within 20 years, finding water to grow food will

be one of the greatest challenges facing governments.

 

Currently up to 90% of all managed water is used to

grow food.

 

" There will be enough food for everyone on average in

20 years' time, but unless we change the way that we

grow it, there will be a lot more malnourished

people, " said Dr David Molden, principal scientist

with the International Water Management Institute

(IWMI), which is part-funded by the British government

and is investigating global options for feeding

growing populations.

 

" The bottom line is that groundwater levels are

plummeting and our rivers are already overstressed,

yet there is a lot of complacency about the future, "

the IWMI report says.

 

" Western diets, which depend largely on meat, are

already putting great pressures on the environment.

Meat-eaters consume the equivalent of about 5,000

litres [1,100 gallons] of water a day compared to the

1,000-2,000 litres used by people on vegetarian diets

in developing countries. All that water has to come

from somewhere. "

 

The consensus emerging among scientists is that it

will be almost impossible to feed future generations

the typical diet eaten in western Europe and North

America without destroying the environment.

 

A meat and vegetable diet, which most people move to

when economically possible, requires more water than

crops such as wheat and maize. On average, it takes

1,790 litres of water to grow 1kg of wheat compared

with 9,680 litres of water for 1kg of beef.

 

In its report, the IWMI says it it unlikely people

will change their eating habits because of concerns

about water supplies. " And in many sub-Saharan

countries, where the pressure on water will increase

most rapidly in the next 20 years, people actually

need to be eating more, not less, " the report says.

 

Anders Berntell, the director of the International

Water Institute, based in Stockholm, said: " The

world's future water supply is a problem that's ...

greater than we've begun to realise.

 

" We've got to reduce the amount of water we devote to

growing food. The world is simply running out of

water. "

 

Research suggests that up to 24% more water will be

needed to grow the world's food in 20 years, but many

of the fastest-growing countries are unable to devote

more water to agriculture without sacrificing

ecosystems which may be important for providing water

or fish.

 

The option of increased world trade in virtual water

seems logical, the scientists say, but they recognise

that it depends on countries having the money to

import their food. " The question remains whether the

countries that will be hardest hit by water scarcity

will be able to afford virtual water, " the report

says.

 

The best options for feeding the world, it says, are a

combination of hi-tech and traditional water

conservation methods. Improved crop varieties, better

tillage methods and more precise irrigation could

reduce water consumption and improve yields.

 

Drought-resistant seeds, water harvesting schemes and

small-plot technologies such as treadle pumps [simple

foot pumps] all have the potential to boost yields by

100%, the report says.

 

The scientists did not examine the use of GM foods

which have been hailed by some companies as the way to

avoid big food shortages.

 

" Even without GM foods, in many parts of the world

there is the potential to increase water productivity.

Even without them there is hope, " one of the report's

authors said.

 

Another option considered is that of farmers using

more urban waste water for irrigation. It is estimated

that up to 10% of the world's population now eat food

produced using waste water from towns and cities.

 

Cities are predicted to use 150% more water within 20

years, which will be both a problem and an

opportunity.

 

" This means more waste water but also less fresh water

available for agriculture. In the future, using waste

water may not be a choice but a necessity " , the report

says.

 

The authors say western governments need to change

their policies: " Agricultural subsidies keep world

commodity prices low in poor countries and discourage

farmers from investing [in water-saving technologies]

because they will not get a return on their

investments.

 

" Land and water rights are also needed so people will

invest in long-term improvements. "

 

 

Special reports

Famine

Debt relief

Global population

Globalisation