For example, take the case of water in the western United States. Water security is a major – and often growing – challenge in the west today. The magnitude of impact is profound as water scarcity drives the bottom line for food sovereignty and food security. According to the World Bank, feeding 9 billion people by 2050 will require a 60% increase in agricultural production, which accounts for approximately 70% of all freshwater withdrawals globally. 

As we continue to exploit non-renewable sources without balance, natural ecosystems such as groundwater will collapse. Therefore the subject of sustainability ensures water-stressed regions are not continued to be exploited and builds up on effective water management. 

In the above case, despite severe droughts, the American West has done an excellent job in managing water scarcity through water pricing support mechanisms and drought contingency plans across the West to share water collectively.  Water Sharing Investment Partnerships (WSIPs) modeled by the Nature Conservancy rely on investment capital to acquire a pool of water-use rights within existing markets. Those rights can be used to reallocate water to the environment, provide ongoing water security through lease agreements to users in the community, and generate financial returns for investors. All these efforts collectively have helped agricultural producers in the West pay relatively low water costs despite a water-stressed environment.