The topic of virtual water has received substantial attention in recent years, both in scholarly literature and the popular press. Many authors have described the “flow of virtual water” between countries that engage in the trade of agricultural crops and livestock products. Some have...

Water prices can convey critical information regarding scarcity, availability, and opportunity costs. Carefully crafted water tariffs enable public officials to achieve socially desirable objectives, such as providing subsidies to poor households and discouraging inefficient water use by...

Urban water tariffs vary substantially across cities and regions, for reasons that reflect water scarcity conditions, local or regional objectives, and political considerations. Comparisons of average water prices across regions are not generally meaningful, as the prices are not weighted or...

Food production in 2050 will be sufficient, globally, but many of the poor will remain food insecure. The primary cause of food insecurity will continue to be poverty, rather than inadequate food production. Thus, policies and investments that increase the incomes of the poor will remain the...

Purchasable development rights (PDR) programs are generally considered to provide permanent protection of farmland because development rights are separated from the land in perpetuity. However, the programs do not require that farming activities be maintained in the future. Farming may be...