Balancing Water Use and Nutrition for Crop Production in a Highly Dense Population – Bangladesh

The challenge of sustainably feeding billions of people, particularly in highly populated emerging economies, such as Bangladesh, requires addressing the environmental consequences of crop production, such as sustainable water use in agriculture. Here, we assessed the sustainability of crop water use and analyzed the balance of water use and nutrient density by integrating the crop water use and nutritional provision data with a hydrological model, WaterGAP 2.2d. Findings revealed that Bangladesh overconsumed approximately 20 billion m3 of freshwater (19 % of total water consumption) owing to crop production during 2000-2016, with rice being a key crop. Shifting crop consumption from rice to alternative crops, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and maize, can improve both nutritional adequacy and sustainable water use. The analytical framework supports sustainable crop production by identifying key crops and watersheds that can contribute to sustainability, considering both sustainable water use and nutritional adequacy.