Summary
The report highlights that global water demand exceeds renewable supplies, with agriculture accounting for over 70% of withdrawals. It argues that increasing crop water productivity through mature technologies and improving policy incentives creates a significant opportunity for private capital investment, despite potential disruptions from the 2008 financial crisis.
Key insights
- Global water scarcity is expected to intensify due to population growth, rising incomes, lifestyle changes, pollution, and climate change, with agriculture consuming more than 70% of global water withdrawals.
- Improving agricultural water-use efficiency is an attractive opportunity for private investment because the necessary technologies—such as low-pressure drip irrigation, remote-sensing for soil moisture, and drought-resistant crops—are mature and ready for large-scale use.
- Private investment in water efficiency is supported by rising water prices, the formalization and trading of water rights, increased farmer incomes from higher commodity prices, and the growth of specialized irrigation technology markets.
Cite the original document
- APA
- World Resources Institute (2008). Watering Scarcity. https://www.wri.org/research/watering-scarcity
- Chicago
- World Resources Institute. Watering Scarcity. 2008. https://www.wri.org/research/watering-scarcity.
- Wikipedia
- {{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Watering Scarcity |date=2008 |url=https://www.wri.org/research/watering-scarcity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}
- BibTeX
- @techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2008watering, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Watering Scarcity}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/watering-scarcity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }
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