Water and agriculture: scientific issues and questions

The module content is structured as follows: -a series of lectures: 1-Water resources and food security, 2-The environmental impact of agriculture on water resources and aquatic environments, 3-Current advances and challenges in agricultural research for optimizing water consumption by plants, and 4-Managing water demand in agriculture. -Tutorials: Food security and prospective scenarios. -A prospective study will be carried out in small groups to produce scenarios relating to the state of water resources and food production based on a case study of a southern country.

The aim of this EU is to provide a comprehensive, global overview of the issues at the intersection of water resource management and food supply, given that agriculture consumes 70% of water resources and that irrigated agriculture alone covers 40% of global food needs. Meeting the food needs anticipated by 2050 will require agricultural intensification on a global scale. This intensification is hampered by the actual availability of water resources and the quantitative and qualitative impacts it has on these resources.

Hourly volumes:

            CM: 12

            TD: 6

            TP: 9

            Land:

Exam: 0%

Continuous assessment: 100%

Each group of students (4-5) writes a summary report presenting the prospective scenario that the group has arrived at, justifying its assumptions and choices. The report and spreadsheets will be evaluated and graded.

Water balance, agricultural water, diffuse pollution, irrigation, water for food