Global potential increase in crop production by vapour shift and water harvesting

The study finds that a moderate water management scenario—reducing evaporation by 25% and collecting 25% of runoff—could increase global crop production by 19%. While such strategies could buffer the projected 9% decline in global crop production caused by climate change by 2050, the study concludes that water available on current cropland will be insufficient for a population of 9–10 billion, even when combining water management with the benefits of rising atmospheric CO2.

• A moderate water management scenario involving a 25% reduction in evaporation and a 25% collection of runoff could increase global crop production by 19%, a result similar to the 17% increase attributed to current irrigation.
• Climate change is projected to reduce global crop production by 9% by 2050, but this loss could be offset by either a 50% vapour shift level or a 25% water harvesting level.
• Even with the combination of a moderate water management scenario and the beneficial effects of increased atmospheric CO2 (supported by fertilizer use), current cropland water availability will not be enough to support a global population of 9–10 billion.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2009). Global potential increase in crop production by vapour shift and water harvesting. https://www.sei.org/publications/global-potential-increase-crop-production-vapour-shift-water-harvesting/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Global potential increase in crop production by vapour shift and water harvesting. 2009. https://www.sei.org/publications/global-potential-increase-crop-production-vapour-shift-water-harvesting/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Global potential increase in crop production by vapour shift and water harvesting |date=9 October 2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/global-potential-increase-crop-production-vapour-shift-water-harvesting/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2009global, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Global potential increase in crop production by vapour shift and water harvesting}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/global-potential-increase-crop-production-vapour-shift-water-harvesting/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }