Solutions Within Reach

The freshwater crisis has fixes that are known, tested, and affordable. Drip irrigation cuts agricultural water use by thirty to seventy percent compared with flood irrigation. Water recycling — treating wastewater to drinking-water standards — already serves millions in Singapore, Israel, and parts of California. Rainwater harvesting can supplement supplies at the household and community scale.

The most powerful systemic tool is pricing water at its true value. Where water is subsidized or free, there is little reason to conserve. When farmers pay its real cost, they switch to efficient irrigation.