Ensuring global food security for the ever-growing population that will cross 9 billion by 2050 and
reducing poverty are challenging tasks. Growing per capita income in the emerging giant economies
such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIe) implies increased additional pressure on
global food production due to changing food habits. The increased food production has to come
from the available and limited water and land resources, which are finite. The quantity of n~ither
available water nor land has increased since 1950, but the availability of water and land per dapita
has declined significantly due to increase in global human population. For example, in India, per
capita water availability has decreased from 5177 m3 in 1951to 1820 m3 in 2001 due to increase in
population from 361 million in 1951 to 1.02 billion in 20m, which is expected to rise to 1.39 billion
by 2025 and 1.64 billion by 2050 with associated decrease in per capita water availability of
1341 m' by 2025 and 1140 m' by 2050. respectively.