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This section
explores the different ways agriculture uses water.
Agricultural
Uses of Water
 Agriculture
uses a lot of water. In fact it’s the second largest user of
water in the U.S. Water withdrawal: thermoelectric generation 47%,
irrigation 34%, public supply 9%, industrial 6%, mining 1%, livestock
1%, domestic 1%, commercial uses 1%.
 Since
many regions of the U.S. don’t get enough precipitation to
grow crops, they depend on irrigation. Farmers irrigate about 15
percent of American farmlands to grow food and fibers. Crops grown
on irrigated lands are valued at nearly $70 billion a year—about
40 percent of the total value of all crops sold. Just like crops,
livestock need to be watered, but this use accounts for a much smaller
piece of the water withdrawal pie. Both of these uses affect the
quantity of water available for other needs and can affect the quality
of water.
Source
Clean Water Initiative. "Clean Water Successes and Challenges."
Online. http://cleanwater.gov/action/c1a.html.
May 2002.
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IPTV Market
to Market Online Links
"Weather
Alters Market Prospects." This Market to Market feature looks
at how weather patterns influence agriculture.
"Inland
Fishing Makes Waves." This Market to Market feature looks at
some Iowa farmers turning to aquaculture.
"Markets
Responds to Planting Delays and Drought." This Market to Market
feature looks at drought and how it has affected farmers' ability
to plant crops.
"Water
Issues Trouble Rural America." This Market to Market feature
looks at water interests of farming and rural areas. Read about
flooding, drought, hydrologic modification, and more.
"Riverkeepers
Target Big Pork." This Market to Market feature looks at how
rivers are affected by hog lots.
"Agriculture's
Clean Water Alliance." These Market to Market features look at nitrates
in our water and what we can do about them. Feature
1
Feature
2
PBS NewsHour
Online Links
Six African countries
face
a devastating drought, which has withered crops and decimated livestock.
Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the U.N. World Food Program,
discusses how the drought could lead to famine.
Tom Bearden
reports on
the politics of hog farming in Colorado.
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