Irrigation Principles | The Problem

Water makes Earth unique and life possible. It is the foundation of agriculture, ecosystems and economies. Yet, despite its importance, it’s being wasted.

On January 20th, 2026, the UN declared that “the world has moved beyond a water crisis” and is entering an era of "global water bankruptcy" with demand outstripping sustainable supply, threatening billions and requiring urgent adaptation.

The world is running out of freshwater.
With exponentially increasing population numbers and dwindling clean water supplies, due to quality and quantity, global freshwater demand is expected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030.
Water Stress occurs when annual renewable freshwater availability falls below 1,700 m³ per person per year. At this level, regions begin to experience periodic or local water shortages and there are early signs of structural stress. 
Absolute Water Scarcity is when renewable freshwater availability drops below 500 m³ per person per year. This threshold represents a catastrophic shortage, where water is barely sufficient for basic human needs. 


Falkenmark, M., Lundqvist, J. and Widstrand, C. (1989), Macro-scale water scarcity requires micro-scale approaches. Natural Resources Forum, 13: 258-267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-8947.1989.tb00348.x
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Agricultural water use accounts for 70% of global freshwater use and increasing droughts are reducing the amount of arable land. This makes water shortages one of the most urgent threats to food scarcity. Especially as food production needs to increase by 50% to be able to feed the global population predicted for 2050: a 10 billion strong global population.

However, it also means the agricultural sector can have the largest potential impact on water savings.
We are now at a critical juncture where the window for implementing effective action to prevent irreversible change is rapidly closing. While awareness of the issue has grown, concrete actions to mitigate the crisis have been challenging to implement.
This is why it’s Hydrosat’s goal with IrriWatch to make actionable change easier, not only quantifying the problem, but also translating it into practical decision-making guidance at all levels. In working together to cultivate positive change, we will make savings and secure a sustainable future for agriculture and beyond.

Hydrosat is enabling water savings by up to 30% per hectare

Hydrosat is increasing crop yields by up to 50%

Hydrosat is minimizing energy consumption and carbon emissions by up to 30%

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