The agriculture industry accounts for 70% of the world's freshwater use. Still, not much is understood about how exactly the industry uses the water.
In response to this huge unknown, researchers from the University of Manchester in the U.K. have begun tracking water use in the agriculture industry.
Using AI and satellite imagery, the team is studying and mapping irrigation sites in Ghana.
According to a school release, the researchers will use the information gathered to boost food and water security and better the lives of small farmers by improving irrigation systems.
Dr. Tim Foster, from the research team, said in the release, "We can now rapidly map and monitor where and when farmers are adopting irrigation in Ghana and other African countries. We use these maps to help governments, development agencies, NGOs and the private sector to better design and target irrigation projects, to improve food security and help reduce rural poverty."
Irrigation, a system as old as time, provides crops with proper watering, allowing farmers to rely on collected water rather than rainwater. It helps limit drought risks, Dr. Foster, Shoobhangi Tyagi, and Christopher Bowden wrote in their report abstract.
Without irrigation, 95% of farm districts in India would experience increased crop failure probability, according to a report published in the IOP Science Journal.
As droughts become more common and severe, it is integral for irrigation practices to align with a shifting climate, both for water conservation and to ensure the agricultural industry can support the food supply chain.
As a result of reduced and erratic precipitation brought on by climate change, rice production in India — where a third of the world's rice is produced — has repeatedly faced failure.
In the IOP Science Journal, it was reported that rice production failures in India have been projected to increase by 26% as a result of continued climate shifts in both the near and far future.
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Not enough time ⏳ "Our analysis demonstrates that expanding irrigation access could play a vital role in mitigating these risks, with substantial risk reductions observed in high-vulnerability regions," the report says.
When the climate shifts, society must respond with change of its own.
By studying irrigation systems in depth and implementing change through data analysis, the researchers from Manchester plan to turn the agriculture industry in the right direction to make necessary changes.
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