Global demand for irrigation projected to rise due to population growth, dietary shifts, and climate change

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the stated research gap and limitations section and stated challenges and future-work section of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 5 journals. Those papers have been cited 39 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 7 representative gaps

• Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Irrigation Water Needs Through Conjunctive Water Use: Future Prospectives (2025) · Water · cited 5× · doi

  The current system's efficiencies, under climate change scenario RCP 4.5, necessitate reforms in water allocation practices. The study identifies the need to transition from a supply-based irrigation system to a future demand-driven model. The study highlights the lack of consideration of socio-economic factors, such as changes in population growth and land use patterns, in current projections.

  generalstated research gap
  Keywords: current system efficiencies climate change scenario rcp necessitate
• Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Irrigation Water Needs Through Conjunctive Water Use: Future Prospectives (2025) · Water · cited 5× · doi

  the study relies on Global Circulation Model (GFDL-Global Coupled Model-CM3) for future climate projections, which may create uncertainties due to specific model assumptions, - socio-economic factors, such as changes in population growth and land use patterns, are not included in the current projections, - the canal water supply data used for comparison is limited to a particular historic period (2011-2012 to 2020-2021), which may not fully capture long-term trends in water supply

  generallimitations section
  Keywords: study relies global circulation model gfdl-global coupled model-cm3
• Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Irrigation Water Needs Through Conjunctive Water Use: Future Prospectives (2025) · Water · cited 5× · doi

  The study identifies the challenge of uncertainties due to specific model assumptions in the Global Circulation Model (GFDL-Global Coupled Model-CM3). The study highlights the challenge of limited data availability for future years. The study notes the challenge of overreliance on groundwater and the need for sustainable water resource management strategies.

  generalstated challenges
  Keywords: study identifies challenge uncertainties due specific model assumptions
• Projecting Water Yield Amidst Rapid Urbanization: A Case Study of the Taihu Lake Basin (2025) · Land · cited 7× · doi

  The study identifies the challenge of accurately projecting the impacts of land use on water yield. The study also notes the challenge of evaluating the spatiotemporal patterns of water yield under multiple future scenarios. The study addresses the challenge of integrating climate and land use data to quantify water yield.

  generalstated challenges
  Keywords: study identifies challenge accurately projecting impacts land use
• Spatially explicit assessment of water stress and potential mitigating solutions in a large water-limited basin: the Yellow River basin in China (2025) · Hydrology and earth system sciences · cited 14× · doi

  The analysis did not account for the impact of climate change projections on water stress due to high uncertainty. The absolute values of water storage in groundwater aquifers are difficult to estimate and often unknown. The study only focused on the impact of changes in human water usage on water stress.

  generallimitations sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: analysis did account impact climate change projections water
• Long-term irrigation water use datasets from multiple Earth Observation-based methods in major irrigated regions (2026) · Earth system science data · cited 1× · doi

  global demand for irrigation projected to rise due to population growth, dietary shifts, and climate change, - advancing climate research requires better characterization of irrigation water use, - further validation of the datasets against available irrigation records is needed

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: global demand irrigation projected rise due population growth
• Predictive analysis of groundwater balance and assessment of safe yield using a probabilistic groundwater model for the Dead Sea Basin (2024) · Frontiers in Water · cited 2× · doi

  Further research is needed to investigate the impact of climate change on groundwater levels, - The study suggests that future research should focus on the potential influence of future projections of rainfall and evapotranspiration on groundwater levels and safe yield, - Further research is needed to improve the accuracy of the model and to account for other factors that may affect groundwater levels

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 4/5
  Keywords: further research needed investigate impact climate change groundwater

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