Global area equipped for irrigation

The graph shows the area of land globally that is equipped for irrigation from 1900 to 2018. The graph uses the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Aquastat data. In 2018, this area is estimated to be 3,674,000 sq km, which is over seven times the size of Spain, or roughly 37% of the size of the US.

Globally, more than 70% of the freshwater withdrawn from Earth’s surface or from underground is used to irrigate agricultural crops. Satellites reveal that extracting water doesn’t just affect the local environment – there are, in fact, knock-on consequences for many aspects of the Earth system.

Read full story: Satellites unveil the far-reaching impact of irrigation