The process of evapo-transpiration produces a global average of about 2 grams (dry weight) of biomass/ kg. (liter) of water (Ref. 9 of (96P2)). (Total terrestrial Net Primary Production = 132 billion tonnes/ year (dry weight) (Ref. 8 of (96P2)), and global terrestrial evapo-transpiration = 69,600 km³, so (132x10¹⁵ g/ year) / (69.6x10¹⁵ liters / year) = 2 g/ liter (=2 kg/ 1000 kg. water).

Israel's irrigation system can feed 1000 people/ km² - compared to a global average of 250/ km² (77A2). Comments: These values may neglect animal-protein needs or the equivalent.

Part [B3] ~ Converting irrigation water to food:
Producing 1 tonne of the following food and fiber products requires: 1400 m³ of irrigation water for corn; 4700 m³ for rice, and 17,000 m³ for cotton (Ref. 54 of (94K1)).

About 1 m³ (1 tonne) of water are needed to produce 1 kg. of most grains (98P1).
An acre of corn requires 0.5 million gallons of water per growing season (0.47 million m³/ km²) (76P1). Comments: Compare this number to the fact that, during one growing season, corn transpires water at 400,000 m³/ km², and its soil transpires 200,000 m³/ km² (Ref. 55 and 56 of (95P1)).

An acre of rice requires 1.5 million gallons of water per growing season (1.4 million m³/ km²) (76P1).
About 1000 tonnes water produce 1 tonne of wheat (normally) (99P1).
Roughly 3000 tonnes water produce 1 tonne of wheat in hot, arid Saudi Arabia (99P1).
Half as much water is needed to produce a ton of wheat as a ton of rice (91B2).
About 100 m³ of water are needed to produce 1 kg. of beef (98P1).
A corn crop that produces 700 tonnes/ km² of grain will take up and transpire 0.42 million m³/ km² of water during its growing season (94K1).
To grow 1.0 kg. of cotton requires 660 gallons of irrigation water in Uzbekistan (81F1).

Some 0.3 tonne/ year = 1 person (China) (98B3)

Some 23-56 m³ of water per tonne of steel (China) (98B3)
Less than 6 m³ of water per tonne of steel (US, Japan, Germany) (98B3).

About 450 m³ of water per tonne of paper (China);
Less than 200 m³ of water per tonne of paper (industrial countries) (98B3).

NOTE: This document sometimes gives numbers in English units. However the preferred system of units is the metric system. (metric tons (tonnes) (or "t"), meters (m) and kilometers (km)) since only one or two of the 180+ nations of the world persist in using cumbersome English units. Even in the US, nearly all technical, scientific, and medical documents use metric units.

In this document, km², km³, etc. mean (km)², (km)³, etc.

acre-ft.: The volume occupied by an acre of water one ft. deep.
1.0 acre-ft.= 325,850 gallons= 1234 cubic meters (m³) (89P1) (enough for 8 U.S. person-years) (89P1).
Application Efficiency: Ratio of water stored in the root zone of plants to the water applied to the field (p. 40 of (81G1)).
Arable Land: Land capable of being plowed and used as cropland.
Arid Land: Lands receiving 10-25 cm. of rainfall annually (85D1).
BUREC: Bureau of Reclamation (a land-management agency within the US Department of the Interior).
Desertification: The process of removal of the soil from a region so that precipitation quickly evaporates or runs into underground aquifers, giving the region the appearance and characteristics of a desert, even though precipitation levels would suggest a non-desert; the creation of a "well-rained-upon desert".
Desertification: The diminution or destruction of the biological potential of land that can lead to desert-like conditions (definition of UNCOD) (85D1) (Dregne's definition is given on p. 19 of (85D1)).
Drip (micro-) irrigation: a system of irrigation in which water is fed to the base of plants via small plastic tubes. Costs of labor and capital are increased, but water consumption is greatly decreased. Switching from furrow- or sprinkler irrigation to efficient drip systems cuts water use by 30-60% (96P1).
Fallow: Cropland left unplanted to allow time for fertility to be restored or for soil moisture to be restored (in arid climates) or for salt concentrations to be reduced. Land in fallow is often completely bare, subjecting it to accelerated water- and wind erosion.
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization (part of United Nations).
GAO: General Accounting Office
ha. (hectare): The internationally accepted unit of land area.
1.0 ha. 2.47 acres// 100 ha. = 1 km²// 259 ha. = 1.0 mile²
Hyper-arid Region: Lands receiving less than 10 cm/ year of rainfall (85D1)
km (kilometer): a measure of distance.
1.0 km.= 1000 meters// 1.6091 km.= 1.0 mile// 2.59 km² (=2.59 (km)²)= 1.0 mile²
Leaching Fraction: The fraction of irrigation water that is applied to a field and percolates below the root zone (85E1)
Micro-irrigation: (See drip irrigation)
mmhos/cm.: A measure of electrical conductivity. A total dissolved salt concentration of about 700 ppm. in water produces an electrical conductivity of 1.0 mmhos/ cm.
Order of Magnitude: a factor of ten, without high accuracy.
Precipitation: rainfall plus the equivalent amount of snowfall:
precipitation = runoff + transpiration.
Primary Salinization: Salinization that develops without human interference (88S1)
RFF: Resources for the Future
Runoff: water that leaves the land by running off of it via the land surface, or by sinking into an underground aquifer. Runoff = Precipitation - Transpiration.
SCS: United States Soil Conservation Service (founded in 1935).
Secondary Salinization: Salinization that develops as a result of human activity, primarily irrigation (88S1).
Semi-arid Land: Lands receiving 25-50 cm./ year of rainfall (85D1)
Sub-Humid Land: Lands receiving 50-75 cm./ year of rainfall (85D1)
Tonne: (often abbreviated as "t") a metric ton;
1.0 tonne= 1000 kg.; 1.0 tonne = 1.1 English tons = 2204 lbs.
UNEP: United Nations Environmental Program (a sponsor of studies on global environmental problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, over-grazing, etc.)
USGS: United States Geological Survey.

Note: Some of the data below is probably obsolete. If you find that to be the case, do a Google search on the name of the organization given below. If that fails, the organization is probably no longer in existence.

AFT01 American Farmland Trust, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 601, Washington DC 20036, (Nov. 1984)
CCN01 Carrying Capacity Network, 2000 P Street NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20036 (202-296-4548 or 1-800-466-4866; fax 202-296-4609. They put out numerous publications on various carrying capacity issues. In recent years their focus has been on the issue of illegal immigration.
ELF01 Earthlife Foundation (USA), Suite 700, 1990 M Street N.W., Washington DC 20036 (202-223-4300). See Global Perspectives Quarterly, Fall 1983, Gerald O. Barney and Patricia Maimon, editors, p. 11. (They undertake sustainable development projects (business opportunities).)
SECC1 Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, P.O. Box 021692, Juneau, Alaska 99802, or c/o Nat. Audubon Soc., 801 Pennsylvania Av. S.E., Wash. DC 20003
GPQ01 Global Perspectives Quarterly, Gerald O. Barney and Patricia Maimon, editors, P.O. Box 33247, Decatur GA 30033 (a newsletter) (as of 1983)
JOHNH John Hopkins, 409 Jardin Place, Davis, CA 95616 (916-756-6455) (as of Dec. 1988) (Chair of Sierra Club Public Lands Committee)
PDMI1 Prospective Decision Models, Inc., Commercial and Academic Applications, Department 23645, Mercantile Road, Beachwood, OH 44122 (See Global Perspectives Quarterly, Fall 1983, p. 6) They do global modeling ala M. Mesarovic.
TURNF Turner Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 550026, Atlanta, GA 30355 (404-681-9900) Founded in 1990 to support non-profit organizations in their work to preserve the Earth and its elements. It supports activities that draw attention to the issue of the human carrying-capacity of the Earth.
UCS01 Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square, P.O. Box 9105, Cambridge, MA 02238-9105. They do a variety of types of advocacy in issues that include population, agriculture and the environment.
WEC01 World Environment Center, 605 Third Ave. 17th Floor, New York NY 10158 (See Global Perspectives Quarterly, Fall, 1983, p.4) They publish "World Environment Report" twice monthly.
WRI01 World Resources Institute, 1750 New York Ave., Suite 230, Washington DC, 20006, (as of 1987) 1709 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006 (1995). They publish numerous books on natural resource issues.
WWINS Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Wash. DC 20036 (as of 1992) (202-452-1999; fax 202-296-7365. They publish numerous books and reports on carrying-capacity issues.

The FAOSTAT Database: A massive compilation of data on issues related to agriculture, forest management, grazing lands, fisheries and other related issues can be accessed by visiting http://apps.fao.org. Access to the FAOSTAT database itself costs about $1200/ year for residents of developed countries. (Access is free to residents of developing nations.)

The AQUASTAT Databases:
The Land and Water Development Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has a number of huge and very useful databases that are available through its website. Start by going to http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/countries/index.htm It gives you a drop-down list of 138 countries and regions that you can chose from. (Some are in Spanish and some are in French, though most are in English.). Once you have downloaded the country or region of interest you will see a map of the country or region, followed by text and tabular information on the country. Below are some examples of the sorts of information that you can obtain from this database.

Land area//
The capital//
Total cultivated area
Cultivated area under permanent crops
Cultivated area under annual crops
Size of the average farm
Population
Population growth rate
Population density
Fraction of the GDP that is derived from agriculture and livestock
Percent of the population that is employed in agriculture
Climate
Average rainfall
Magnitude of the groundwater resources
Percent of the groundwater resource that returns to the sea as base flow to the rivers
Rate of groundwater abstraction
Magnitude of the invasion of saltwater into the groundwater tables
Magnitude of subsidence problems that result from excessive abstraction of ground water
Magnitude of the annual renewable water resources
Magnitude of the problem of river water contamination by raw sewage
Number and capacity of dams and reservoirs
Gross hydropower potential
Water usage by agriculture, industrial and domestic users
Land area under irrigation
Irrigation potential
Trends in poverty
Area of tidal and non-tidal swampland
Trends in food self-sufficiency
Magnitude of flooding problems and other data.

~~ Land use and population
~~ Climate and water resources
~~ Water use by sector and by source
~~ Irrigation and drainage development, and
~~ Environment and health.
This database can be queried on-line, and the query results can be downloaded in CSV format.

TABLE 2 ~ Water Resources Data
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 ~ Average Precipitation (1961-1990) (mm./ year)
Col.4 ~ Average Precipitation (1961-1990) (km³/ year)
Col.5 ~ Total renewable water Resources (km³/ year)
Col.6 ~ Groundwater produced internally (km³/ year)
Col.7 ~ Surface water produced internally (km³/ year)
Col.8 ~ Overlap in Surface- & Groundwater (km³/ year)

TABLE 3 ~ Land Under Irrigation
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 ~ Irrigation Potential (ha)
Col.4 ~ Year of Irrigation Data
Col.5 ~ Full/ Partial Control of Irrigation (ha)
Col.6 ~ Spate Irrigation (ha)
Col.7 ~ Equipped Wetlands (ha)
Col.8 ~ Total Irrigation (ha)
Col.9 ~ Other Cultivated Wetlands (ha)
Col.10 ~ Deep Water/ Flood Recession Cropping Area (ha)
Col.11 ~ Water-Managed Area (ha) (sum of previous 4 columns)

TABLE 4 ~ Source of Irrigation Water
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 ~ Full/ Partial Control of irrigation area irrigated with surface waters (%)
Col.4 ~ Full/ Partial Control of Irrigation area irrigated with ground water (%)
Col.5 ~ Full/ Partial Control of Irrigation area irrigated with non-conventional sources (%)

TABLE 5 ~ Irrigated Crops and Intensification
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 ~ Part of equipped area actually being irrigated (%)
Col.4 ~ Irrigated Crops (ha)
Col.5 ~ Portion of grain production that is irrigated (%)

TABLE 6 ~ Population (2000)
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3, 4, 5 ~ Total Population, Rural Population, Urban Population

TABLE 7 ~ Water Use (FAO Estimates for the Year 2000)
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 & 4 ~ Agricultural Water Use (km³/ year and %)
Col.5 & 6 ~ Domestic Water Use (km³/ year and %)
Col.7 & 8 ~ Industrial Water Use (km³/ year and %)
Col.9 ~ Total Water Used (km³/ year)

TABLE 8 ~ Irrigation Techniques
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3, 4, 5 ~ Surface Irrigation (ha), Sprinkler Irrigation (ha), Micro-irrigation (ha)

TABLE 9 ~ Environment ~ Drainage
Col.1 ~ Continent
Col.2 ~ Country
Col.3 ~ Area subject to salinization as a result of irrigation (ha)
Col.4 ~ Total Drained Area (ha)

See "Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the US 2000" by Molly A. Maupin and Nancy L. Barber, Circular 1279, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey 46 pages, 7.69 MB. See http://www.usgs.gov/

A US Geological Survey Report of 8/1/05 "Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the US, 2000" provides details of ground-water withdrawals from principal aquifers in each state. It breaks the withdrawal data into major uses - irrigation, public water supplies, and self-supplied industrial uses. On a daily basis, 76.5 billion gallons are used for these three purposes, with irrigation accounting for nearly 75% of this amount. The full report is available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1279. It is 52 pages long and the pdf file is 12.8 MB in size.

See http://iwmi.org.pk/iwmi/WP%2064%20final-With%20C%20&%20B%20Page.pdf for the results of a comprehensive groundwater survey of Pakistan, designed to understand the dynamics of groundwater use, operation and maintenance patterns, socio-economics of groundwater irrigation, land use pattern, crops, yields, and groundwater irrigation practices. 1/11/05

See the World Bank's Irrigation and Drainage website:
http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/ardext.nsf/26ByDocName/IrrigationandDrainage

See http://www.fao.org/landandwater/aglw/index.stm for a major information resource on water supply issues.
For a huge amount of water-supply and water-use data see http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/countries/index.stm that gives you a drop-down list that you can choose individual countries from. (Some country files are in Spanish and French.)

The following tables and accompanying commentary have been printed:

NOTE: The page numbers given below are those you ask the .pdf software to take you to.
The actual page numbers printed on the document's pages are significantly different.

• Classification of Regions (by W.R.I.) (p.150) (Asia, Europe, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, Central America & Caribbean, South America, Oceania)
• Developed and Developing World (Which countries are in which category?) (p.151)
• Low-, Middle- and High-Income Countries (p.152)

Tables ~ Population and Education (p.153-156)
~ ~ ~ Total Population Estimates and Projections (1980, 2005, 2030)
~ ~ ~ Estimated Total Fertility Rates (2000-2005)
~ ~ ~ (For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/population)

Tables ~ Human Health (p.157-160)
~ ~ ~ Use of Improved Water Source (% of Population) (2002) (Urban and Rural)
~ ~ ~ (For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/population)

Tables ~ Gender and Development (p.161-164)
~ ~ ~ Contraceptive Prevalence (%) (1990-2002)
~ ~ ~ Annual Earned Income (International dollars) (1991-2000) (Women and Men)
~ ~ ~ (For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/population)

Tables ~ Income and Poverty (p.165-168)
~ ~ ~ GDP per Capita PPP (International $) (2002)
~ ~ ~ National Poverty Rate (%) (Total, Urban, Rural)
~ ~ ~ Percent of Population living on less than $1/day and % living on less than $2/ day.
~ ~ ~ Gini Index (0= perfect equality)
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/Economics

Tables ~ Economics and Financial Flows (p.169-172)
~ ~ ~ GDP (Constant 1995 US$)
~ ~ ~ Average Annual Growth Rate of GDP (%) (1992-2002)
~ ~ ~ GDP per Capita (dollars) (2002)
~ ~ ~ Distribution of GDP by Sector (%) (Agriculture, Industry, Services) in 2002)
~ ~ ~ Official Development Assistance and Aid (2002)
~ ~ ~ Average annual inflation (%) (1998-2003)
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/Economics

Tables ~ Energy (p.177-178)
~ ~ ~ Energy Consumption ~ Total from all Sources (1000 metric toe) (1991 and 2001)
~ ~ ~ Energy Consumption (Per Capita) (2001)
~ ~ ~ Energy Consumption (% in 2001) (Fossil, Solid Biomass, Nuclear, Hydro, Other renewables)
~ ~ ~ Population Relying on Solid Fuels (%) (2000)
~ ~ ~ Electricity Consumption per capita (KWH) (2001)
~ ~ ~ Proven Fossil Fuel Reserves (million metric toe) (2003) (Coal, Oil, Natural gas)
~ ~ ~ Net Fuel Imports (1000 metric toe) (2001)
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/energy

Tables ~ Water Resources and Fisheries (p.185-188)
~ ~ ~ Actual Renewable Water Resources (Total: km³) (Per-Capita in m³/person)
~ ~ ~ Annual Water Withdrawals (Total in km³) (Per-Capita (m³/ person in 2000)
~ ~ ~ Annual Water Withdrawals by Sector in 2000 (Agriculture, Industry, Domestic)
~ ~ ~ Inland/ Marine Fisheries Production (in 1000 metric tonnes) (Capture) (Aquaculture)
~ ~ ~ Trade in Fish and Fisheries Products (million US$) (2000-2002) (Imports) (Exports)
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/freshwater

Tables ~ Land Use and Human Settlement (p.193-196)
~ ~ ~ Total land area (2002)
~ ~ ~ Land Area Classifications ~ Forested (MODIS Satellite Imagery in 2000 ~ more than 50% cover,
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ and more than 10%)
~ ~ ~ Land Area Classifications ~ Forested (FAO Estimate more than 10% cover in 1990 and 2000)
~ ~ ~ Land Area Classifications ~ Agriculture ~ Arable and Permanent croplands (1992, 2002)
~ ~ ~ Land Area Classifications ~ Agriculture ~ Permanent Pasture (1992 & 2002)
~ ~ ~ Land Area Classifications ~ drylands.
~ ~ ~ Population Density (People per km² in 2000)
~ ~ ~ Percent of Urban People living in slum conditions in 2001.
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/forests

Tables ~ Food and Agriculture (p.197-200)
~ ~ ~ Agricultural Land Area (2002)
~ ~ ~ Irrigated Cropland as a Percent of Total Land (2002)
~ ~ ~ Labor Inputs to Agriculture (workers/ ha) (2001)
~ ~ ~ Fertilizer Applied (kg/ ha) (2001)
~ ~ ~ Tractors/ 1000 ha (2001)
~ ~ ~ Water Withdrawals (m³/ ha) (2000)
~ ~ ~ Cereals Received as Food Aid (1000 tonnes) (2002)
~ ~ ~ Net Cereal Imports as a % of Consumption (2002)
~ ~ ~ Cereal Fed to Livestock as a % of Total Consumption (2003)
~ ~ ~ Calorie Supply per Capita (kcal/ person/ day) (2002)
~ ~ ~ Share of Calorie Supply from Animal Products (2002)
~ ~ ~ For more information visit http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/agriculture
More data tables are available on line at Earthtrends http://earthtrends.wri.org
(If you don't want graphics, just data, see the same information at http://earthtrends.wri.org/text.)
(A CD-ROM (also hardcopy) of Earthtrends data is also available. Visit http://www.wristore.com)
Chapter 1 ~ Reference Citations on p. 204-207.
Chapter 2 ~ Reference Citations on p. 208-209.
Chapter 3 ~ Reference Citations on p. 210-212.
Chapter 4 ~ Reference Citations on p. 213-215.
Chapter 5 ~ Reference Citations on p. 216-???.
The Index (by subject) is on pages 220-228.

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