Climate change impacts on water sustainability of South African crop production

Agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which, combined with projected food requirements, makes the sustainable management of water resources critical to ensure national and global food security. Using South Africa as an example, we map the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research letters 2022-08, Vol.17 (8), p.084017-084017
Main Authors: Bonetti, Sara, Sutanudjaja, Edwin H, Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe, Slotow, Rob, Dalin, Carole
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Arid regions
Arid zones
Climate change
Cotton
Crop production
Environment and Society
Environmental Sciences
Food security
Irrigation
Land use
Land use management
Land use planning
Letter
Potatoes
Semi arid areas
Semiarid lands
South African crop production
Spatial distribution
Sustainability
Sustainability management
Water consumption
water debt indicator
water footprint
Water management
Water requirements
Water resources
Water resources management
water sustainability
Water use
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Summary:Agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which, combined with projected food requirements, makes the sustainable management of water resources critical to ensure national and global food security. Using South Africa as an example, we map the spatial distribution of water use by seventeen major crops under current and future climate scenarios, and assess their sustainability in terms of water resources, using the water debt repayment time indicator. We find high water debts, indicating unsustainable production, for potatoes, pulses, grapes, cotton, rice, and wheat due to irrigation in arid areas. Climate change scenarios suggest an intensification of such pressure on water resources, especially in regions already vulnerable, with a country-scale increase in irrigation demand of between 6.5% and 32% by 2090. Future land use planning and management should carefully consider the spatial distribution and local sustainability of crop water requirements to reduce water consumption in water risk hotspots and guarantee long-term food security.
ISSN:1748-9326
1748-9326
DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/ac80cf