At what scale does water saving really save water?

Excerpt

Water scarcity is a growing concern around the world. Opportunities to develop new water supplies are declining while new demands for industrial and urban uses and the environment are growing.

Globally, agriculture accounts for some 70% of global water diversions, and the agricultural sector is the single largest consumer of water in most countries. In addition, water used in agriculture is typically considered to have lower economic value than when applied for “new” uses. As a result, the agricultural sector is often the loser when pressures for reallocation occur, both because it has the most to give and because reallocation away from agriculture can increase overall water productivity. Agriculture's share of total water use is already falling and in some countries even absolute use is dropping.

Even as its allocations fall, the agricultural sector must continue to provide food to feed the world's still-growing and increasingly wealthy populations. In addition, farmers must continue to find ways to maintain incomes and meet their livelihood needs. To meet the challenge of decreasing agricultural allocations on the one hand and increasing demand for agricultural outputs on the other, governments and research organizations around the world are encouraging the …