Abstract
There is a growing need to adopt sustainable agricultural strategies aimed at achieving food security and reducing pressure on natural resources. Water scarcity is one of the biggest challenges to agricultural development, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, where freshwater scarcity is a major barrier to achieving these goals. More than a third of the earth's surface (about 49 million square kilometers) falls within the classification of arid and semi-arid lands, and these lands receive rainfall rates of less than 400 mm per year, with 20% of the world's population living in these areas. In many cases, current management practices are unsustainable and lead to serious water-related problems such as depletion of aquifers, accumulation of pollutants to harmful levels, water disputes, or uneconomical costs. The pressure on the land is such that between 50,000 and 70,000 square kilometers of useful productive land are lost each year due to desertification and climate.