Researchers from the United Nations University warned this week that over 170 million hectares of irrigated cropland worldwide are experiencing high or very high water stress, a situation that threatens global food security, undermines farm productivity, and generates annual economic losses exceeding USD 300 billion.

The report, published by Reuters, describes what experts call an emerging "water bankruptcy", driven by decades of unsustainable water extraction, climate change, pollution, and the depletion of aquifers, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and wetlands.

According to the study, nearly three-quarters of the world's population now live in countries classified as having high or critical water insecurity, while around 4 billion people face severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. The agricultural impact is profound: more than half of global food production is concentrated in regions where water storage levels are already unstable or declining.

"Many regions are living beyond their hydrological means," said Kaveh Madani, the report's lead author and director of the university's Institute for Water, Environment and Health. Acknowledging the reality of water bankruptcy, he argued, is essential to making the tough decisions needed to protect economies, ecosystems, and food systems.

Beyond water scarcity, soil salinization linked to intensive irrigation and poor water management has already degraded more than 100 million hectares of cropland, further constraining yields and increasing production costs, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.

Data from the FAO show that agriculture accounts for the largest share of total water withdrawals in many countries, far surpassing industrial and domestic use, underscoring the urgency of rethinking water management in farming systems.

The report concludes that traditional approaches are no longer sufficient. Rather than attempting to "return to normal," researchers call for a new global water agenda focused on damage minimization, efficiency gains, aquifer protection, and adapting agriculture to a future of structural water scarcity.

Still, some experts argue that key drivers remain underplayed. Royal Holloway University of London professor Jonathan Paul noted that uneven global population growth remains "the elephant in the room," intensifying pressure on water resources and food production worldwide.