Agriculture Assignment: Water Shortage in Agricultural Sector

Question

Task: You are supposed to provide a detailed report on water shortage in agricultural sector.

Answer

Introduction:
Water scarcity has been found to incorporate a major influence on the production of food worldwide. It has been known that lack of appropriate amount of water supply inhibits people from watering a significant amount of water supply to their crops which directly affects the production of food for the dissolute developing population throughout the world (Berbel and Esteban 2019). According to a survey conducted by the International Water Management Institute, it was found that 70 percent of the worldwide water is withdrawal foragriculturepurpose. It is said that the sue of water for agriculture is now contending directly with the use of water for industrial purpose, domestic use, and environmental intake due to limited water availability (Manoliet al. 2017). Thus worldwide, countries have been developing policies and water management plans to maintain the availability of water to ensure that the agricultural purpose of water is fulfilled for the sake of the developing population. The assignment will thus focus on discussing the issue of water scarcity in the agricultural sector within the aboriginals and other rural communities of Australia. It is so, because, for aboriginal communities of Australia, water plays a significant role in their survival and living. Protection of water comes under their cultural value and important practice to maintain the stability of their living.

The current water shortage issue:
It has been found that, the rural communities of Australia, within the upcoming year, will suffer from a major scarcity of water.There will also be a lack of availability of water from river sources, dam water, and underground water as the water streams are drying and there is less rainfall. Urban communities are barely associated with the production of food crops which makes them entirely dependent on the aboriginals and other rural communities of Australia for agricultural purposes and production of food products. Scarcity of water within these communities will impact majorly on the food system on local, national as well as global level. It has been found that aboriginals and other indigenous populations of Australia have been known for their involvement in agriculture and environmental management, thus, water scarcity has been affecting their livelihood along with the production of healthy crops (Greenlandet al. 2019). Lack of proper water resources for agriculture will consequently affect the food production rate as well as the majority of the Australian economy. It is so because agriculture is known as one of the major competitors as well as a productive sector internationally which provides the majority of the contribution to the Australian economy. It has been also found that 61 percent of land in Australia is cover by rural communities where farming is the only source for the production of food crops that are supplied to the international market. Thus, the rising issue of water scarcity within the rural communities has increased the threat to the global food production as well as the local supply of cultivated food products (Horne 2018).

Assessment of Approaches:
As the rising temperature and low rainfall have developed the issue of less availability of water, inappropriate use and wastage of water have also been serving as a major contributing factor. Thus, it is necessary that each aspect that has been contributing to the rising issue is addressed. It has been found that the lack of availability of water has also been developing due to a lack of knowledge about securing and using a limited amount of water. It is necessary that water is used only up to the limit which is required for the production and cultivation of the crops. Thus, rural communities are in major need to sustain a proper understanding of the water wastage as well as preservative measures (Larder, Sippel, and Argent 2018). Also, it has been observed that there are certain policies such as carbon farming initiative which are strengthening the support system for the farmers and agriculture-oriented communities with the rising issue of water scarcity. It is necessary that the polices which has been working on the issue of water scarcity and agricultural aspect, must focus on the development of awareness and education for the rural communities and provide them with the measures and technologies which will help them manage water usage and storage for future purpose. There is certain water legislation which has been working for the rising issue of water scarcity and drought within the diverse localities of Australia (Adapa 2018). These legislations such as Water Act 2007, Water Regulations 2008, and Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2005 have been guiding other policies and strategies with the proper rules and guidance regarding the management of water supply according to the need (Felix 2016).

Systematic changes:
The rural and aboriginal communities have been found to have very less availability of water supply as natural sources of water are the prime way to provide water to their agricultural purposes. Thus, the policies and strategies that have been working for the issue of water shortage must focus on making the availability of water storage resources for these communities. It has been found that urban communitiesbarelywitness the issue of water shortage and there is always a constant supply of water for the population. Thus, it will be needed that there must be regulations and strategies under different policies that will discuss the proper measures and technologies for water savage. These strategies can be used to maintain a fair supply of water for agriculture even in a situation where there is less water supply. It will provide them with the opportunity to maintain the flow of food production for the local, national, and global markets (Ross 2018).

Equitable Approaches to Address the Water Shortage Issue
In the management of the rising issue of water scarcity and decreased cultivation of food crops in the agricultural field, Stakeholders such as farmers, local authorities, and government along with the government of Australia play a significant role. Thus, in this condition, each of the stakeholders can work along with the strategy to manage the issue of water shortage and initiate storagemeasures within the agricultural communities. It has been found that one of the mosteffectivewaterstoragemeasures is followed by diverse regions worldwide who witness drought and water scarcity each year. Water storage using small man-made dams have been serving as a major effective measure for providing a constant supply of water for agricultural purpose even when the country witnesses water shortage. It will be necessary that farmers and local authorities with the help of the government of Australia plans to develop small dams and reservoirs within their localities to ensure water is stored for future purposes. Also, it will be necessary that farmers sustain knowledge and education regarding cultivation using fewer water sources and save water from wastage. Lack of education and knowledge has been majorly developing the issue of water shortage within these communities (Pisaniello and Tingey-Holyoak 2017).

Recommendation:
From the overall assessment and evaluation of the factors associated with the water shortage in the rural and aboriginal communities leading to deprived agriculture outcomes, it was found that the majority of the issue is within the management of water supply and storage. It has been found that communities have minimal education and knowledge about the process of the storage of excess water which they attain during the proper season. Thus, it will be necessary to guide and generate awareness about the water storage facilities, funds that are provided by the government for agricultural purposes, and development of water storage measures within their localities. It will ensure that they sustain a constant flow of water even during the dry season. It will help them maintain their crop production and thus, no harm will be initiated to the local, national, or global food market (Wheeleret al. 2020).

Conclusion:
Thus, in order to conclude the above discussion, it can be stated that water scarcity has been one of the chief issues within every sector worldwide, but a major impactexerts over the agricultural sector. The majority of the agriculturalservices are carried out by the rural and indigenous communities of Australia which makes it necessary that there is a fair availability of water supply. Though they need the majority of the water for agriculture, they witness the increased difficulties due to the lack of a significant amount of water supply within their regions. It has been found that there are several policies that have been working within the premises of Australia to ensure water storage and resolve the issue of water scarcity. These policies need to develop in their field to provide supportive measures to the rural and aboriginal communities who are the source of food products at the local, national, and global markets. They need to provide the communities with supportive measures such as education and awareness, and development of water storage techniques such as small dams to reserve excess water. There are certain changes within the process of water management that will be required where the priority water supply should be provided to the communities who are actively involved with agriculture and food production.

Reference:
Adapa, S., 2018. Factors influencing consumption and anti-consumption of recycled water: Evidence from Australia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 201, pp.624-635.

Berbel, J., and Esteban, E., 2019. Droughts as a catalyst for water policy change. Analysis of Spain, Australia (MDB), and California. Global Environmental Change, 58, p.101969.

Felix, J., 2016. Making sense of the regulation mind game. Plumbing Connection, (Spring 2016), p.18.

Greenland, S., Levin, E., Dalrymple, J.F., and O’Mahony, B., 2019. Sustainable innovation adoption barriers: water sustainability, food production, and drip irrigation in Australia. Social Responsibility Journal.

Horne, J., 2018. Water security in Australia. In Global Water Security (pp. 21-52). Springer, Singapore.

Larder, N., Sippel, S.R., and Argent, N., 2018. The redefined role of finance in Australian agriculture. Australian Geographer, 49(3), pp.397-418.

Manoli, E., Arampatzis, G., Pissias, E., Xenos, D., and Assimacopoulos, D., 2017. Water demand and supply analysis using a spatial decision support system.

Pisaniello, J.D. and Tingey-Holyoak, J.L., 2017. Water storage equity and safety assurance policy to mitigate potential ‘dual-extreme cumulative threats’ in agricultural catchments. Journal of hydrology, 545, pp.55-71.

Ross, A., 2018. Speeding the transition towards integrated groundwater and surface water management in Australia. Journal of hydrology, 567, pp.e1-e10.

Wheeler, S.A., Carmody, E., Grafton, R.Q., Kingsford, R.T. and Zuo, A., 2020. The rebound effect on water extraction from subsidising irrigation infrastructure in Australia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 159, p.104755.