Multi-national agriculture, drive by water.

Saudi Arabia, China, and South Korea are all leasing or buying land in other countries on which to grow food. Water demands for agriculture have overwhelmed the water each country has access to domestically, forcing them to look elsewhere.

When a country devotes 40% of its renewable water resources or more to irrigation, it starts to face these water allocation issues.

By 2030, under business as usual, all of South Asia will reach the 40% threshold; the Middle East and North Africa region will have hit 58%.

Agriculture almost always loses out to the industrialising economy, especially to the energy and manufacturing sectors, in such water allocation decisions.

Current trends suggest that by 2030, demand for extra water will soar.

Rapidly industrialising economies across South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, which support approximately 2.5 billion people, will be forced to look elsewhere for water-rich land for their food.

Story from the BBC, which has had several great water stories today!