Expansion Of Food Production Research Articles

Popularity and parity assessment for more inclusive and balanced aquaculture development

Aquaculture, a rapidly expanding food production system, holds promise for improving global food security and resilience. However, imbalanced growth has led to a highly uneven distribution of aquaculture production among countries, a concern that has not been comprehensively examined. This paper fills this knowledge gap by developing an innovative indicator system to assess this issue based on aquaculture development in ~ 200 countries over five decades. The system utilizes the “effective number of countries” (ENC) as a basic measure of production distribution and extends it into two novel indicators, popularity and parity, to gauge inclusiveness and balance. The assessment from 1970 to 2020 reveals that aquaculture has become a global enterprise, operating in nearly 90% of countries. Nevertheless, there is still substantial potential for growth in aquaculture popularity across most of 43 species groups examined here. Regarding concerns over persistently imbalanced aquaculture growth, our assessment reveals that aquaculture parity increased during 1970–2020 in the majority of 85 country groups examined here, including 18 of 27 regions and subregions. Global parity is also on the rise in the new millennium (2000–2020). However, the global aquaculture parity remains considerably lower than those of capture fisheries and terrestrial meat production. This suggests that imbalanced global aquaculture development cannot be solely attributed to countries’ comparative advantages. This extraordinary imbalance could compromise global food security and food system resilience, but it also signifies untapped growth potential. Mainstreaming aquaculture popularity and parity as policy indicators can foster more inclusive and balanced development and unlock this potential. The proposed indicator system can be applied across diverse sectors and scales, contributing to a broader and refined understanding of the dynamics within the global food system.

Horticultural Irrigation Systems and Aquacultural Water Usage: A Perspective for the Use of Aquaponics to Generate a Sustainable Water Footprint

The expansion of food production is becoming more important due to a rising world population, which is relying on food security on regional and local scales. Intensive food production systems exert a negative impact on the regional ecosystem because of agrochemical pollution and nutrient-rich water discharging into nearby rivers. Furthermore, these systems highly depend on regional water resources, causing water scarcity and soil erosion due to the overexploitation of natural resources in general. The objective of this article is to review the water usage in the two most water-intensive food production systems, agriculture and aquaculture, showing lacking areas like system management and climate change, which must be considered in the implementation of a sustainable water footprint. In addition, the review includes an analysis of the combination of both production systems in aquaponic food production and the possibilities of water saving. There are a variety of analyses related to water usage for crop and aquatic animal production, but in these analyses, there is a lack of information about system management in general, which includes cleaning processes, water substitution, pond removal, water evaporation, and, especially in aquaculture, the water usage required for industrially elaborated fish feed.

Amber LEDs outperform red, blue, and red-blue-amber LEDs for lettuce

ABSTRACT Debate persists on light in controlled environment agriculture. To dissect the effects of conventionally used wavelengths on a crop and provide new information to this expanding food production sector, this study investigated the effects of monochromatic and combined red, blue, and amber light on lettuce growth with increasing light intensities (up to 1300 µmol·m−2·sec−1) for 18 days with a 16 h·d−1. Under amber light at PPFDs ranging from 500 to 700 µmol·m−2·sec−1, fresh mass displayed a 33.3% greater yield when compared to red light at the same PPFD. Suppressed growth was observed with either red or amber alone at high PPFD (>800 µmol·m−2·sec−1). Blue light was the least productive of the four treatments, yet lettuce plant growth was not suppressed at high intensities. No growth suppression was observed for lettuce plants grown under combined red-blue-amber light at high intensities, and these plants exhibited greater biomass yield than blue light alone. Varied degrees of pigmentation occurred under each light treatment, yet bleaching was only observed in plants grown under amber light alone at PPFD above 1000 µmol·m−2·sec−1. Findings present novel plant responses to high intensity light, setting precedence for future experiments aimed at expanding the use of LEDs in horticulture.

Assessing Preparedness for Smart Farming and Technology Adoption among Kenyan Farmers

Agriculture is crucial in reducing poverty, promoting economic prosperity, and ensuring food security for the world’s growing population, which is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. This sector is vital to the global economy, contributing significantly to GDP and providing jobs for a large workforce. Precision agriculture and e-commerce advances have proven beneficial, boosting crop yields and rural incomes. Sub-Saharan Africa faces similar agricultural challenges as it anticipates a population of 2.1 billion by 2050. Although the region has made strides in expanding farmland and labour, improvements in crop yields have been limited. The digital revolution offers new opportunities to tackle issues such as undernutrition by improving access to information and technology. In Kenya, with a population projected to reach 95 million by 2050, expanding food production is a pressing challenge. Significant hurdles include declining soil fertility, inadequate water management, and a lack of technical support. While technologies like Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and Machine Learning (ML) have the potential to enhance agricultural productivity, their adoption is constrained by infrastructure issues, high costs, and a shortage of technical expertise. Addressing these barriers and improving farmer education is essential to fully realising these technologies’ benefits.

Bacteria-Mediated Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Efficiency in Ammonia Removal from Fish Culture Tanks

Background: Aquaculture is one of the most rapidly expanding food production sectors. Due to intensification, declining water quality parameters negatively impact fish production and the surrounding environment. Thus, it is essential to maintain optimum water quality parameters and aquatic ecosystems for sustainable fish production. This study aims to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) and evaluate their efficiency against ammonia in cultured fish tanks under diverse conditions. Methods: Bacillus megaterium from the soil sample was isolated and identified. Iron oxide NPs were synthesized using Bacillus megaterium collected from soil samples and characterized by DLS-zeta potential, UV-vis, XRD, FTIR, and TEM analysis. Next, synthesized NPs were evaluated under ex-situ and in-situ conditions to determine their efficacy in removing ammonia from Common carp, Cyprinus carpio culture tanks. Results: B. megaterium was isolated, identified, and 16S rRNA gene PCR-amplified sequences confirm the identification of B megaterium. DLS-zeta potential, UV-vis, XRD, FTIR, and TEM analysis revealed the quality of synthesized NPs. B. megaterium from the soil sample was isolated and identified. The mean zeta potential of the biosynthesized NPs was between -4.65 to -6.45 mV and had an average size of 5 nm. The concentration of ammonia in aerated tanks treated with iron NPs reduced to less than 0.03 mg/dL from 0.3 mg/L. Also, fish mortality in these tanks was significantly controlled with the application of NPs. The application of NPs considerably reduced fish mortality in these fish tanks. Iron oxide NPs from B. megaterium can produce high-quality NPs that are efficient in removing ammonia from fish culture tanks. Further, exploratory studies are necessary to determine the efficacy of iron oxide NPs on aquatic organisms cultured in different environments.

Biorefinery concept in the meat industry: From slaughterhouse biowastes to superaborbent materials

The expansion of food production has a large environmental impact in many ways. More specifically, 30–40% of total food production is lost as wastes and/or by-products before it reaches the market. In this sense, blood is an inevitable by-product in the meat industry that typically consists of 3–5% of the total weight of the animal. The dry organic matter present in blood is mostly protein, which can be employed more efficiently as raw material in the development of biodegradable materials. In the present manuscript, the blood collected after slaughtering of Iberian pigs was centrifuged and the upper (i.e., plasma) and bottom (i.e., red cells) layers were separated. Three freeze-dried fractions were characterized and evaluated on terms of their potential in the field of bioplastics: whole blood, plasma and bottom layer. Albumin was detected clearly in the plasma fraction, while globulins in red cells. After their characterization samples were mixed thoroughly with glycerol and injection molded at 120 °C. Special applications may be proposed for every fraction (i.e., whole blood, plasma or red cells), as the materials displayed different properties depending on the raw material employed. Thus, plasma resulted in materials with a greater deformability and swelling capacity during immersion, resulting in superabsorbent materials when processed at milder conditions (80 °C).

The Global Dilemma of Soil Legacy Phosphorus and Its Improvement Strategies under Recent Changes in Agro-Ecosystem Sustainability.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the six key elements in plant nutrition and effectively plays a vital role in all major metabolic activities. It is an essential nutrient for plants linked to human food production. Although abundantly present in both organic and inorganic forms in soil, more than 40% of cultivated soils are commonly deficient in P concentration. Then, the P inadequacy is a challenge to a sustainable farming system to improve the food production for an increasing population. It is expected that the whole world population will rise to 9 billion by 2050 and, therefore, it is necessary at the same time for agricultural strategies broadly to expand food production up to 80% to 90% by handling the global dilemma which has affected the environment by climatic changes. Furthermore, the phosphate rock annually produced about 5 million metric tons of phosphate fertilizers per year. About 9.5 Mt of phosphorus enters human food through crops and animals such as milk, egg, meat, and fish and is then utilized, and 3.5 Mt P is physically consumed by the human population. Various new techniques and current agricultural practices are said to be improving P-deficient environments, which might help meet the food requirements of an increasing population. However, 4.4% and 3.4% of the dry biomass of wheat and chickpea, respectively, were increased under intercropping practices, which was higher than that in the monocropping system. A wide range of studies showed that green manure crops, especially legumes, improve the soil-available P content of the soil. It is noted that inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could decrease the recommended phosphate fertilizer rate nearly 80%. Agricultural management techniques to improve soil legacy P use by crops include maintaining soil pH by liming, crop rotation, intercropping, planting cover crops, and the consumption of modern fertilizers, in addition to the use of more efficient crop varieties and inoculation with P-solubilizing microorganisms. Therefore, exploring the residual phosphorus in the soil is imperative to reduce the demand for industrial fertilizers while promoting long-term sustainability on a global scale.

Intelligent reprogramming of wheat for enhancement of fungal and nematode disease resistance using advanced molecular techniques.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) diseases are major factors responsible for substantial yield losses worldwide, which affect global food security. For a long time, plant breeders have been struggling to improve wheat resistance against major diseases by selection and conventional breeding techniques. Therefore, this review was conducted to shed light on various gaps in the available literature and to reveal the most promising criteria for disease resistance in wheat. However, novel techniques for molecular breeding in the past few decades have been very fruitful for developing broad-spectrum disease resistance and other important traits in wheat. Many types of molecular markers such as SCAR, RAPD, SSR, SSLP, RFLP, SNP, and DArT, etc., have been reported for resistance against wheat pathogens. This article summarizes various insightful molecular markers involved in wheat improvement for resistance to major diseases through diverse breeding programs. Moreover, this review highlights the applications of marker assisted selection (MAS), quantitative trait loci (QTL), genome wide association studies (GWAS) and the CRISPR/Cas-9 system for developing disease resistance against most important wheat diseases. We also reviewed all reported mapped QTLs for bunts, rusts, smuts, and nematode diseases of wheat. Furthermore, we have also proposed how the CRISPR/Cas-9 system and GWAS can assist breeders in the future for the genetic improvement of wheat. If these molecular approaches are used successfully in the future, they can be a significant step toward expanding food production in wheat crops.

Green Environment-Social Protection Interaction and Food Security in Africa.

Expanding food production to commensurate with population growth has often come at a cost resulting from environmental problems. Industries generate pollutants that destroy the environment and negatively affect the level of food security. These trends threaten the sustainability of food systems and undermine the capacity to meet food security needs. Against this backdrop, this study examines how the green environment influences food security in Africa. To further articulate the novelty and contributions of the research to the extant literature, the study also examines the interaction effect of the green environment and social protection on food security. The study engaged panel data consisting of 37 African countries listed in the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank. The data was sourced from Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) and the World Development Indicators (WDI) for the period 2005 to 2019 and applied the system Generalised Method of Moments (SGMM). The result shows that a green environment and social protection are statistically significant and positively determine the level of food security in Africa. In addition, the result shows that a green environment and social protection interaction positively and significantly influence food security. The implication is that a 1% increase in the drive for a green environment may improve the level of food security by 0.8%. Also, increases in the level of social protection intervention may increase food security by 1.2%. The interaction between social protection and food security can increase food security by 0.96%. In summary, it is found that African countries under study have moderate social protection coverage and policy for environmental management and sustainability required to drive food security. The discussions of the findings and policy implications of the study are underscored in the paper.

Crop yield forecasting by long short‐term memory network with Adam optimizer and Huber loss function in Andhra Pradesh, India

SummaryIn recent times, crop yield prediction gains more attention among researchers communities to expand food production. In this article, an effort is done for crop yield prediction in Andhra Pradesh state (India), because AP highly contributes to the Indian economy. Especially, the crop yield prediction is done for Western Godavari, Prakasam, Guntur, Srikakulam, Krishna, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) by estimating the rainfall based on the attributes: average temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and velocity potential. After collecting the data from the Telangana agricultural report (2017–2018), the collected data are preprocessed utilizing the min‐max normalization technique, which is effective in preserving the relationship among data. The normalized data are classified using long short term memory network with Adam optimizer and Huber loss function. The proposed classifier has adaptive learning rates for dissimilar parameters by identifying the first and second‐moment gradient estimation so it has better computational effectiveness, unlike other classifiers. The proposed classifier predicts each site in the collected dataset into one of the three crops: rice, sugarcane, and onion. Finally, the agriculture experts validate the obtained results of the proposed model.

Mutual analyses of agriculture land use and transportation networks: The future location of soybean and corn production in Brazil.

CONTEXTGiven the need to expand food production to satisfy an increasing world population; regional land-use planners must direct this expansion to available, permitted areas (i.e., not legally protected forests) where production can be maximized and transportation costs, production costs and environmental impacts can be minimized. In this balancing act, the capabilities and layout of the current and future transport system are crucial in determining the spatial distribution of future agricultural production. OBJECTIVEThe objective of the present study was to develop a modeling framework to determine the optimal spatial distribution of new soybean and corn production areas in Brazil and transport flows needed to move these commodities to maximize economic gains and limit or reduce negative environmental impacts. METHODSInitially, we applied Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to classify regions suitable for expanding soybean and corn production according to an area's potential for superior agricultural performance. Subsequently, we used a Network Equilibrium Model (NEM) to determine the best spatial distribution of new soybean and corn production areas so that their production added to existing production meets the estimated 2050 demand and the optimal configuration of existing and proposed transportation infrastructure required to move this production to appropriate locations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSWhen compared to a 2018 baseline, the complete operation of planned railroads and the positioning of future grain production to occupy regions indicated by the modeling could increase soybean and corn production by 66% without simultaneous deforestation, reduce carbon dioxide emissions due to interregional soybean and corn transport by about 14%, and reduce combined transport and production costs by about 2%. SIGNIFICANCEThe proposed modeling framework should be an extremely useful tool when determining sites for future agriculture production and the network matrix needed to transport this production, especially when considering the relationship between land use and transportation infrastructure.

Water resources constraints in achieving silk production self-sufficiency in India

One of the main challenges for India is increasing food security and promoting economic development using the domestic finite and already stressed natural resources. In the last decades silk production has been booming in India in response to the 2025 silk self-sufficiency goal set by the Indian Ministry of Textile. It is not clear to which extent mulberry (Morus alba), used to feed silkworm in 70% of the total domestic silk production, can be expanded in the wastelands identified by the Indian Government as suitable for moriculture without both endangering natural resources and causing competition for natural resources with the food sector.This issue is here investigated by a) assessing mulberry water consumption (rain and irrigation) in the plantations presently cultivated and in all the wastelands selected by the government for the expansion of moriculture as well; b) analyzing annual and sub-annual water scarcity induced by mulberry plantations within the plantations; c) studying the potential competition for natural resources between food crops and mulberry. To this end the dynamic spatially distributed crop water balance WATNEEDS model has been used to analyze two different scenarios being the reference scenario considering the present climate and land cover, and the “silk expansion scenario” combining present climate and the new mulberry plantations. Results for the reference scenario show mulberry expansion areas already suffering food insecurity and water scarcity in the dry period. Here, the expansion of mulberry cultivation is shown to exacerbate water scarcity in pre-monsoon months especially in the North-Eastern Region affecting on a yearly scale eleven million people. Results also show expanding food production on wastelands rather than mulberry could be a viable solution for alleviating the burden of malnutrition.

Determinants of life expectancy in Nigeria: does agricultural productivity matter?

The paper examines the effects of agricultural productivity and other economic factors on life expectancy in Nigeria. The ARDL approach to cointegration and error correction modelling is employed for analysis of annual time series data spanning the period from1981-2016. The study finds that improvement in agricultural productivity enhances life expectancy in the short in, but adversely affects it in the long run. It also finds that inflation and unemployment adversely affect life expectancy in the short- and long-run. The short-run effect of real per capita income is found to be negative (an indication of uneven distribution of income), while the long run effect is also negative, but statistically not significant. The effects of exchange rate and government recurrent education-expenditure on life expectancy are neither significant in the short- nor in the long-run. Health expenditure positively affects life expectancy in the short run and in the long run. Based on these findings, the study recommends that though agricultural productivity enhances life expectancy in the short run in Nigeria, yet it should be cautiously pursued in a way that it is not detrimental to the industrial (especially, manufacturing) sector as this could have adverse consequences for life expectancy in the long run. There is also need to raise awareness campaigns on proper nutrition to control intake of high calorie and high cholesterol foods as a result of expansion in food production arising from improvement in agricultural productivity. Efforts should also be made by the government to address the unemployment problem and bring inflation under control. In addition, there is need for government to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector.

Sustainable use of paper sludge from the Colombian paper industry

The paper industry is an important component in the Colombian economy, the need for the continuous use of paper and cardboard in different activities results in the generation of paper sludge, for this reason there is an imminent need to generate alternatives for the use of these industrial wastes. which have been on the rise in recent years. This study is divided into two stages, the first is the evaluation through experimental analysis of the demonstration of the effectiveness of paper mud as an important source of carbon in composting processes, the second is the life cycle analysis (LCA) of the Alternative replacement of Composting vs. Synthetic Fertilizers. The product obtained from the evaluation corresponds to a stabilized compost with chicken manure, which is an important source of Carbon, Nitrogen and Calcium Carbonate, resulting in an environmentally sustainable alternative compared to the use of synthetic fertilizers. In the future, an increase in the use of fertilizers is expected, due to the growth of the world population, which generates an expansion of food production and an imminent need to attend to it. The ALC provides a better understanding of the process and its environmental impacts, the results will allow us to conclude on the most appropriate management option by showing the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of compost. Organic fertilizers, unlike synthetic fertilizers, improve the fertility, texture and structure of the soil in the long term, promoting good drainage, aeration, water retention and root penetration, in addition to contributing to the stabilization of pH in acidic soils. The main challenges in integrating composting from paper sludge and chicken manure is to balance the C / N ratio, making a balance of the nutrient mixture and thus improving composting times, the loss of humidity, temperature gain, microbiological control and porosity.

Models of optimization of combination of production of agrarian products and harvesting of wild food resources

The article is devoted to the results of modeling the combination of agricultural production and harvesting of wild food resources. Agricultural enterprise models that are able to expand food production activities through the use of wild plants are proposed. A prerequisite for the application of the developed linear programming models with uncertain parameters is the availability of sufficient reserves of wild food resources located at relatively small distances from the farm. This condition is acceptable for many farms in the Irkutsk region. As optimization problems, linear parametric problems with interval and random estimates are used. With sustainable agriculture, the uncertain values are yield, labor costs and prices for harvesting and selling wild plants. The models used to manage the activities of agricultural producers of the Irkutsk region showed additional opportunities for the development of the regional agro-industrial complex.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Phenotyping Using Morphometric and Spectral Analysis Can Quantify Responses of Wild Tomato Plants to Salinity Stress.

With salt stress presenting a major threat to global food production, attention has turned to the identification and breeding of crop cultivars with improved salt tolerance. For instance, some accessions of wild species with higher salt tolerance than commercial varieties are being investigated for their potential to expand food production into marginal areas or to use brackish waters for irrigation. However, assessment of individual plant responses to salt stress in field trials is time-consuming, limiting, for example, longitudinal assessment of large numbers of plants. Developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) sensing technologies provide a means for extensive, repeated and consistent phenotyping and have significant advantages over standard approaches. In this study, 199 accessions of the wild tomato species, Solanum pimpinellifolium, were evaluated through a field assessment of 600 control and 600 salt-treated plants. UAV imagery was used to: (1) delineate tomato plants from a time-series of eight RGB and two multi-spectral datasets, using an automated object-based image analysis approach; (2) assess four traits, i.e., plant area, growth rates, condition and Plant Projective Cover (PPC) over the growing season; and (3) use the mapped traits to identify the best-performing accessions in terms of yield and salt tolerance. For the first five campaigns, >99% of all tomato plants were automatically detected. The omission rate increased to 2–5% for the last three campaigns because of the presence of dead and senescent plants. Salt-treated plants exhibited a significantly smaller plant area (average control and salt-treated plant areas of 0.55 and 0.29 m2, respectively), maximum growth rate (daily maximum growth rate of control and salt-treated plant of 0.034 and 0.013 m2, respectively) and PPC (5–16% difference) relative to control plants. Using mapped plant condition, area, growth rate and PPC, we show that it was possible to identify eight out of the top 10 highest yielding accessions and that only five accessions produced high yield under both treatments. Apart from showcasing multi-temporal UAV-based phenotyping capabilities for the assessment of plant performance, this research has implications for agronomic studies of plant salt tolerance and for optimizing agricultural production under saline conditions.

Sustainable innovation adoption barriers: water sustainability, food production and drip irrigation in Australia

PurposeThis paper aims to examine impediments to the adoption of sustainable water-efficient technological innovation in agriculture. Farming is the largest water consumer and food production expansion in response to global population growth, combined with increasing droughts from climate change, threatens water and food insecurity for many countries. Yet, climate smart agriculture (CSA) innovation adoption has been slow, and in this regard, governments and the agricultural sector are not fulfilling their social responsibility and sustainability obligations.Design/methodology/approachBarriers to water-efficient drip irrigation (DI) adoption in Australia were investigated via 46 depth interviews with agricultural stakeholders and a survey of 148 farmers.FindingsWhile DI water efficiency is recognised, this is not the key determinant of farmers’ irrigation method selection. Complex interrelationships between internal and external barriers impede DI adoption are identified. These include costs, satisfaction with alternative irrigation methods, farmer characteristics that determine the suitability of the innovation and the extent it is incremental or radical, plus various multidimensional risks. Government support of alternative, less water-efficient irrigation methods is also a critical barrier.Originality/valueA conceptual framework for understanding barriers to sustainability oriented innovation adoption is presented. Its insights should be applicable to researchers and practitioners concerned with understanding and improving the adoption of socially responsible and sustainable innovation in a wide range of contexts. Recommendations for overcoming such adoption barriers are discussed in relation to the research focus of water-efficient agriculture and encouraging uptake of DI.

“How Little Progress”? A Political Economy of Postcolonial Nutrition

“How Little Progress”? A Political Economy of Postcolonial Nutrition

Политика обеспечения продовольственной безопасности Китая в 90-е годы XX века

The article is devoted to the problem of food security as a component of economic security of China. The problem of food security of China in 1990-ies is discussed. Food safety issues in China were firstly discussed in the early 1990-ies. The article focuses on the defining of food security in a global context. Types of food security are shown. It is noted that in 1990-ies in China there was a real threat to food security of the country. The analysis shows that due to the acceleration of the industrialization process in China many field lands are used for the constructing the infrastructure, and the labor force in the village is dramatically reduced. It is proved that the cause of the growing threat is the rapid economic development as a result of reforms in China and its subsequent influence. Special attention is paid to the effective measures taken by the government of China to ensure food security. It is emphasized that the agricultural policy of China is aimed at expanding food production and increasing the yield per unit area. The author argues that in the process of solving problems of food security of China in 1990-ies the state played a significant role.

Risk and the South Asian monsoon

South Asia’s dependence on the monsoon has always been a source of economic uncertainty. This paper examines the history of ways of thinking about the monsoon and risk, focusing on India. The science of meteorology, and a growing interest in ways to mitigate monsoon risk, developed in response to major famines. Piecemeal interventions, including a series of canals and small dams, began India’s hydraulic transformation. By the middle of the twentieth century, massive hydraulic engineering emerged as the dominant solution to controlling the monsoon’s risks. Large dams account for the largest share of government expenditure in independent India, but since the 1960s, intensive and mostly unregulated groundwater exploitation has played a greater role in meeting irrigation needs. The expansion in India’s irrigated area and an expansion in food production. But this has come at a cost: millions have been displaced by dam construction; groundwater exploitation has reached unsustainable levels, and has had an effect on regional climate.