Today, if we question some teenager – some not so teenagers – about something totally indispensable, probably the energy will be the first answer. Undoubtedly, it is something that changes the lives of all.
But before the energy comes WATER; and, in fact, about 70% of Brazil’s electricity also depends on it. It was no coincidence that the first civilizations developed the banks of rivers and streams. In addition to ingestion, water is essential for food production.
For a long time the issue of water, especially in Brazil, has been neglected. Because of the abundance and ease of access, little care was taken. Extracting regions that are historical of scarcity, much for lack of serious public policies, after all was the crutch for deviations of money. Known cases of corruption, using natural water deficiency, date back to the 1970s; the “cassava scandal” in Pernambuco was a classic. It is estimated that R $ 1.5 billion were diverted from Proagro.
In this case, the banks made loans supposedly for the planting of cassava, beans, onions and some other crops, for people holding false documents. Sequentially, the payments were not made, because it was alleged that the drought had destroyed the plantations – those that had never been made. But was there a year of adequate rainfall, and were there no crops? The frauds were discovered. They had not matched the weather. The water was there.
Other regions, where access to water is easy and there are more harmoniously distributed rainfall, there are not even serious policies and programs that focus on the preservation of this precious asset, as well as rational use. In the last decades, this scenario has changed. Besides the access to information has been expanded, which has made the population more aware of water, as well as rationing in several cities, more Brazilians are engaged in preservation.
In fact, agriculture consumes 70% of all water used on the planet, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Producing food requires lots of water. The less developed the country, the greater the consumption. Embrapa data indicate that more than 70% of the water, which is destined for agriculture, is used for irrigation and 11% for hydration of the herds. Remembering that part of what is irrigated, is also consumed by the animals of production.
Due to the high water consumption in irrigation, new technologies and managements are being developed to mitigate losses. FAO studies show that about 60% of the water used in irrigation is lost by evaporation. Some handling changes can change this number well. It is important to emphasize that irrigation, despite the water cost, is essential, therefore, immensely increases productivity, extremely significant to minimize the cost of food.
To condemn agriculture for the high consumption of water is like punishing a teacher for using too much chalk writing on the board. It should be capilarizar the techniques and the developed managements, for a more rational use, but it is a dependency that will always exist. The volumes consumed will also be higher than the cities. The countryside needs to produce food for the people in the cities. Food, whether of vegetable or animal origin, requires high amounts of water. And everyone needs food. And water, lots of water!
* Roberta Züge is the administrative director of the Sustainable Agricultural Scientific Council (CCAS); Vice-President of the Union of Veterinary Doctors of Paraná (SINDIVET); Veterinary Medicine Doctor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (FMVZ / USP); Partner of Ceres Quality.