CALL FOR PAPERS
Transforming Agriculture in a Water-Scarce World
PLOS WATER
Submit your research to PLOS Water before June 16, 2023 to be included in this new collection.
Jun
16
2023
SCOPE
In the next decades, water scarcity is expected to increase in many parts of the world. With increasing variability and magnitude of rainfall patterns, 350 million people will experience water scarcity by 2030 and 10% of the currently suitable area for major crops and livestock production is expected to become climatically unsuitable. Tackling water scarcity, food and nutrition security simultaneously will require a systemic and transformational approach in the way water is used and supports agriculture across scales and landscapes.
PLOS Water invites submissions of original research articles that address how we ensure food security with limited water resources. This includes articles about social-technological innovations to enhance agricultural water management in rainfed and irrigated agriculture, integrated cropping systems and its effect on water quality and quantity, water resource management and governance, and broader environmental impacts. We especially welcome contributions employing participatory research practices, and those that use Open Data and Open Science approaches for analyzing or addressing water needs in the agricultural sector from field to global scale.
RESEARCH TOPICS
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Circular approaches to agricultural water management (e.g. wastewater reuse)
- Water footprint reduction in agriculture
- Enhancing water storage through agricultural practices and cropping systems
- Water allocation and trade-offs
- Water-agriculture-energy-ecology nexus
- Water-related yield gaps in a changing climate
- Socio-technological innovations in urban and rural agricultural systems
- Crop systems modeling
- Water use in local and regional food systems
- Citizen science for sustainable agriculture
- Impact of water innovations in agriculture on hydrological cycles
- Water compliance and enforcement in agriculture
Agriculture is dependent on its environment, with water playing an essential role. Changes in water availability, rainfall patterns, and factors impacting crop water demand (e.g., temperature) are impacting agricultural production globally by contributing to growing agricultural water scarcity. Agricultural water availability is complex as this resource is shared amongst users, and water is a cyclic system impacted by diverse variables and scales. Clearly, system approaches with transdisciplinary solutions are needed given the potential threat that water scarcity has on agriculture and food supply and its complex interaction with other users and systems.
Kati Miggliaccio
University of Florida
Read more about PLOS Water’s newest Call for Papers
GUEST EDITORS
Alex Godoy-Faundez
University of Desarrollo
Kati Miggliaccio
University of Florida
Cameron Holley
University of New South Wales
Petra Schmitter
International Water Management Institute
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
JOURNAL INFORMATION
PLOS Water connects researchers across the hydrology, water resources, and water sanitation and hygiene communities, amplifying a diverse set of voices to influence the global discourse around fresh water. Our journal drives Open Science water research forward to foster a deeper understanding of these interconnected issues, and to empower researchers, local and Indigenous communities, water professionals, and organizations from across the globe to take positive, evidence-based action in order to address some of the most pressing issues our planet faces.
Email questions to water@plos.org
READY TO SUBMIT?
Submit your paper to PLOS Water to be considered for this Collection.
Mention the Transforming Agriculture in a Water-Scarce World Call for Papers in your cover letter. The Collection will publish in late 2023.
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