ABSTRACT
Water scarcity has become a global issue as freshwater demand has soared up from the rapid increase of population, food demand, and fast social-economic development under climate change. Agriculture production, which is the biggest freshwater consumption sector, has achieved great success in food security with vast irrigation expansion since the “green revolution” but at the expense of severe groundwater over-exploitation and environmental disasters in several major cropping zones globally. To avoid the potential water crisis, various agricultural water conservation and sustainable adaptations were developed and validated in different cropping zones of the world. This chapter reviews agricultural water management-related studies. It covers field experiments, regional cropping systems, and interregional water-embodied food trade and provides insights to support decision-making for agricultural adaptations, water conservation policies, and hydrological projects for environmental sustainability and food security.
