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  • Publication | 2025
Desalination and agriculture: Balancing opportunities and challenges in the context of changing climate
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Climate change and growing water scarcity are increasingly challenging global agricultural production, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Although agriculture uses more than 70 percent of the world’s freshwater, many areas are facing severe shortages worsened by climate change. To address this issue, the FAO, through initiatives such as WASAG and WSI, is exploring non-conventional water sources, including desalination. Desalination, which removes salt and impurities from seawater or brackish water, is rapidly expanding, with more than 19,000 facilities producing over 100 million cubic meters of freshwater each day. While desalination offers a promising solution to secure water for agriculture, its adoption requires careful consideration of technological, economic, and environmental trade-offs. This policy brief examines the potential of desalination for agricultural development, highlighting its challenges and opportunities, and provides key policy recommendations to maximize its benefits in the context of climate change.