Water in pig production

Abstract

Agriculture is a heavy consumer of water, in fact 70% of the water withdrawn for consumption world wide is used for irrigation alone making agriculture the most intensive consumer of the resource. Water is one of the fundamental ingredients required for the activity of agriculture. The availability of water or the lack of it is considered as one of the indicators used to distinguish a nation's potential to prosper and evolve. In Europe, water consumed by agriculture is estimated at 30% of the total amount of water used for other needs and purposes. In southern Europe, water is scarce and irrigation accounts for over 60% of water use. Water is very often taken for granted and used as if the supply is unlimited. So much so, data relating to water consumption is very hard to get by and often non-existent. Although 75% of the earth's crust is covered in it, only 1 % is deemed as suitable potable water for humans as drinking water. Lack of adequate planning, management and conservation of a water resource supply may have irreversible damaging effects on the environment. Lake Chad, once one of the African continent's largest bodies of fresh water, now dramatically decreased in size due to the human demand for water, sheds light on the consequences of mismanaged human intervention. The Maltese islands are no exception and have problems of their own. Not only are the meagre supplies of available water from natural sources being over exploited, but there seems to be no official control on this activity. No literature or documentation exists that may lead to the understanding of how water is being managed in the Maltese agricultural sector and no data is available to support studies on how water management can be improved and utilised in the most economic and efficient manner possible.