The Future of US Corn, Soybean and Wheat Production Depends on Sustainable Groundwater Use
Published:08 Feb.2022 Source:Dartmouth College
In the U.S., 52% of irrigated land is used for corn, soybean and winter wheat production. Corn and soybean are two of the country's most important crops, with 17% of corn production and 12% of soybean production coming from irrigated areas. However, the water used for this irrigation is often unsustainably pumped groundwater. According to a recent Dartmouth-led study published in Earth's Future, using groundwater sustainably for agriculture in the U.S. could dramatically reduce the production of corn, soybean and winter wheat.
Irrigation relies on extracting groundwater from aquifers, which also serve as a source of drinking water and are essential to lakes, rivers and ecosystems. Aquifers are naturally recharged, as rainfall, snowmelt and other water infiltrate the soil, and are collected in a porous layer underground. If groundwater use, however, exceeds aquifer recharge rates, this reduces the amount of groundwater that is available in the aquifer, including for growing crops.