The Oxford Handbook of Food, Water and Society

Book excerpt: Society's greatest use of water is in food production, which makes farmers central to global environmental management. Current food value chains, however, do not enable farmers to both feed a growing population and steward natural resources. Through a carefully curated collection of articles written by water and food system scientists and professionals, including farmers, this Oxford Handbook considers the interconnected issues of real water in the environment and "virtual water" in food value chains, and investigates society's influence on both. This perspective highlights considerable challenges for food security and environmental stewardship in the context of ongoing global change. The book discusses these issues by region and by selected commodities, emphasizing innovation needed for the food system to meet future challenges.