Color-coded Management Plan Could Increase Water Security

Water security could be helped by a new management plan classifying water sources and uses, researchers suggest.

According to Farming First, the agriculture sector uses 70 percent of the world's water; moreover, researchers estimate that food production will need to increase by an estimated 70 percent during the next 35 years in order to meet the demands of the planet's burgeoning population.

In order to address the issue of increasing water demand, researchers from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meetings are set to meet this November to discuss a water management plan based on a color system.

Water labeled "blue," for instance, refers to lakes, rivers, reservoirs and aquifers. Currently, blue water is used for everything from drinking water to irrigation. However, scientists warn, freshwater stores are limited. For this reason, the researchers argue that remaining blue water sources need to be protected and used sparingly.

Green water is any water available in the soil for plants and microorganisms. According to the press release detailing the management system, "The use of green water by crops must be optimized to better utilize this often overlooked resource."

Finally, gray water refers to any that has been previously used and may contain impurities. This includes waste water and should be reused, based on the plan, for agriculture so as to reduce the amount of blue water used and "increase the green water available for plants to use."

If the world's supply of water is to sustain a world of 9 billion by 2050, all three water sources must be protected in some form and optimized in use, especially in regards to agriculture.

As Rattan Lal, presider of the symposium, stated, "There is no substitute for water."