Conserving Water in Agricultural and Forestry Industries: Methods for Improving Water Use Efficiency

Abstract

This paper aims to explore three common water conservation techniques used to conserve water and increase water use efficiency in the agriculture and forestry industries. Global water scarcity has increased substantially in recent decades, and the agricultural industry is the greatest consumer of freshwater resources throughout the world. In the United States specifically, the agricultural industry, along with forestry, is responsible for roughly 40% of national water stress. Because of this, there have been significant efforts to improve water use efficiency within the industry; improved irrigation methods, exploration of different water collection methods, and the development of water-conserving landscape designs are just some of the different techniques. These practices are being further researched in conjunction with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Six, to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and Goal Twelve, to ensure responsible consumption and production patterns. The specific practices explored in this paper are rainwater harvesting, the creation of riparian buffers, and drip irrigation. Using these techniques, this paper aims to answer the question: What are the benefits and drawbacks of three different techniques of improving water efficiency in agriculture, and how are the techniques best applied? This paper strives to provide background on each practice and discuss the strengths and limitations of each one. This will help provide information on which types of practices should be used in specific situations. The practices vary in a number of ways, from how the systems are designed to where they work best, but there is a significant amount of overlap when it comes to the overarching goals and the problems they face. As such, an overview of each is provided along with the benefits and challenges of their utilization. This is followed by a comparative analysis of all the methods discussed and in what situations each would be best utilized.