03/29/06 World Water woes

Farmers are blamed for world water woes. At the recent World Water Forum in Mexico City some representatives from the 130 nations present blamed farmers for the majority of our world's water crisis's claiming farming accounts for 70 percent of world water consumption. These accusations would raise the hackles of my farmer friends given the recent water shortages in the West as result of snow pack and development. A closer look at the World Water Forum revealed that the bulk of the meetings focused on farmers from third world countries. In developing nations where the majority of the population are small farmers they greatly impact the quality and quantity of water. A United Nations report claimed that it isn't just a shortage of water rather a mismanagement of resources that leads to a lack of safe drinking water for one-fifth of the worlds population. There is no pat solution but the forum discussed alternative crops for regions dependant on farming methods that waste water like flood irrigation.