The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | Submitted Category: WRITING / Essay | Submission Code: W14 #JUC2025 | Dedication theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1264

WATER FOR AGRICULTURE

[#JUCAwards2025] As you know, water is very critical for our ecosystem. However, what do we know more about water? Do we know that water is also important for agriculture? First of all, rivers, lakes and reservoirs are the main water sources. Large irrigation systems often depend on these, if we need to give example then we can give the Nile River in Egypt as an example. We can also get water from underground. Usually countries such as India and the United States are relying on it. Thirdly, some countries are still trying to use recycling water. For example, in Japan the hand wash sink is attached to the toilet, which means that while you are washing your hand, the water required for the next toilet use can be stored. This technology, can make Japan save millions of litres of water every year.

Water is one of the most vital resources for agriculture. Agriculture uses about 70% of the world’s freshwater sources. That shows how dependent the sector is on water. For example, plants need to do photosynthesis with water. If they don’t do photosynthesis then, they will die, that’ why they need water to live. Without enough water, food production decreases and the crops fail which means that they can lead to hunger or economic problems.

Farmers use rain-fed agriculture or irrigation systems more so that they can save water and they can get good quality crops. We said that farmers can use rain-fed agriculture, but what is rain-fed agriculture? Rain-fed agriculture is when crops depend only on natural rainfalls. This is a very common way to use water in Africa and South Asia. However, because it relies on rainfalls, it’s quality can change when there are different weathers. The second system I’m going to explain is irrigated agriculture. In this system, farmers grow water- demanding crops such as rice and sugarcane. As the population increases, more food needs to be required that’s why we need agriculture. However, agriculture needs water. It will be harder to do agriculture by the year of 2050 because people think that the world’s population will hit 10 billion in 2050.

In places like India or California, excessive irrigation has led to falling groundwater level. There a few problems that make it diffucult to manage water into agriculture. Irrigation, pollution from warming, and climate change. In some countries, farmers still waste water with their traditional irrigation ways. For example, fields when they’re flooded with water usually ends with high loss. Only a small amount of water reaches plants. On the other hand, some people don’t want to waste water with agriculture. So they try a way to do agriculture called “Hydroponics“ (dry agriculture). As the name suggests, no water is used in this type of agriculture except rain water. I mean, in this type of agriculture only the natural water is used. Although this is a type of agriculture generally practiced in arid and waterless regions, its use has increased over time. This avoids climate change. The aim is to ensure that plants grow based on natural rainfall and to minimize the need for irrigation.

There are some methods that farmers do in dry agriculture. Now, I am going to explain them. First of all, the first method is preserving soil moisture, which means that you need to cover the soil with vegetation. The second method is to choose plants that are drought- resistant. As an example, barley, wheat, chickpeas, lentils and are drought-resistant plants. Mulching, one of the other methods, ensures that the temperature of the soil remains balanced and prevents moisture loss. Another method is not to cultivate the soil more than necessary. In this way, water evaporation is prevented and soil moisture is preserved. Fifth method is to save the rain water, then use it when it is needed. That way you can save rain water. The last method is to adjust planting time. Plants grow faster during the rainy season. That’s why we need to adjust planting time, so we get better quality and faster formed plants.

We talked about what’s the dry agriculture and we talked about it’s methods. However, why do we need dry agriculture? What are the advantages of it? First of all, it saves limited water and reduces water consumption. Secondly, it maintains ecological balance. It also reduces the risk of soil salinity and erosion. Thirdly. it makes farmers resistant on climate change, so climate change doesn’t affect them. That way, farmers can work better despite bad weather conditions. Finally, it reduces the costs in agriculture, which may contribute to the country’s economy.

Althought, dry agriculture is a very good method about sustainability, it can have some difficulties sometimes. For example, when it rain irregularly it can make crop loss. When the soil quality decreases, then efficiency would get worse too. To solve these problems, we need to use compost. That way, the crops quality would be better.

We said that we can use compost to solve these problems, however let’s make something clear. The question is, what is compost? Compost is a type of fertilizer obtained from animal waste, plant residues and some natural resources, and it also significantly increases soil fertility. There are some kind of compost types. The first type is, barnyard manure consisting of the feces of cattle or sheep. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The second type of compost is, green manure. It is obtained by growing some plants and mixing them into the soil such as legumes. The third type of fertilizer, worm manure, is formed by the digestion of organic waste by worms. This increases the biological activity of the soil.

Compost, improves soil structure and does not harm the environment, so it is sustainable. Increases Microorganism Activity, thus contributing to the proliferation of beneficial bacteria. Finally, it increases the amount of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen needed by plants. These are the advantages of compost. Thanks to these compost, sustainable agriculture and food security are maintained. Product quality is increased. That’s why compost is necessary.

Unfortunately, water resources in the world are decreasing due to reasons such as increasing population, climate change and drought. However, we still have some chance to prevent the decline of fresh water resources. Many people on the earth are suffering from the problem of not finding fresh water sources. If they still can’t find fresh water, then they’ll probably deal with health issues more. Also, water sources are important for economics too. Energy is spent to purify, transport and make available water resources. Unnecessary water consumption causes increased energy and costs. If water is not used sparingly, both your family and your country’s economy will be badly affected.

Well, how can we save water then? First of all, we need to turn off the taps in our school, home, and everywhere we go. We should also repair dripping taps. If we don’t it will affect our family economy, and we will waste water for no reason. Moreover, using smart irrigation systems could decrease water waste. These systems provide plants as much water as they need, so they don’t get more than they need or less than they need. In sum, using water consciously is not just an individual saving, it is also a great favor to nature and humanity.

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The 2025 J.U.C. Awards | Submitted Category: WRITING / Essay | Submission Code: W14 #JUC2025 | Dedication theme: #WaterActionDecade | Word count: 1264

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