Rebalancing water use across the global food system is key to meeting future food demand sustainably and could generate 245 million long-term jobs, largely in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new World Bank Group report launched today.
The report – Nourish and Flourish: Water Solutions to Feed 10 Billion People on a Livable Planet – notes that current agricultural water management practices, marked by overuse in some countries and underuse in others, can only sustainably support food production for less than half the global population. By 2050, 10 billion people will need to be fed. Addressing both the overuse that depletes water in stressed regions and the underuse that leaves available water and productive capacity untapped in water-abundant regions will be essential to meet that demand sustainably.
It introduces a new framework for agricultural water management that links water availability with food production and trade. By categorizing countries based on water stress and their food import or export status, the framework helps identify where expanding rainfed agriculture can increase food production, where irrigation investments can unlock jobs and growth, where water use must be rebalanced to protect ecosystems and future productivity, and where trade offers a more sustainable path than local production.
“The way we manage water for food will have profound implications for jobs, livelihoods, and economic growth. By making smarter choices about where crops are grown, how water is allocated, and how trade supports food security, we can strengthen resilience, expand opportunity, and safeguard the resources which we all rely on,” said Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group.
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