Agriculture wastes most of the water it uses

Water scarcity is becoming one of the most pressing challenges of our time. While the planet has the same amount of water it always had, we're using it faster than natural systems can replenish it, and climate change is making water cycles more unpredictable.

Nearly half the world's population already experiences severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. Meanwhile, aging infrastructure loses billions of gallons through leaks, and 2 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water at home. Agriculture consumes 70% of global freshwater, often inefficiently, while extreme weather events — both floods and droughts — are becoming more frequent and severe.

This isn't just about inconvenience. Water stress drives conflict, forces migration, threatens food security, and holds back economic development. The technologies in this category work to stretch our water supplies further, deliver clean water more efficiently, and help communities adapt to an increasingly unpredictable water future.

Farming uses about 70% of all freshwater globally, but traditional irrigation is incredibly wasteful. Flood irrigation and sprinkler systems lose huge amounts to evaporation and runoff, while farmers often water crops based on guesswork rather than what plants actually need.

As water becomes scarcer and more expensive, agriculture needs to become much more efficient. The good news is that precision irrigation and smart farming techniques can often maintain or even increase crop yields while using 30-50% less water.