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Groundwater Recharge – Its Importance and Scalability
According to the USGS, only 1.2% of the earth’s freshwater is surface water. Around two-thirds of it is tied up in glaciers and ice caps, while groundwater accounts for the other 30%. But as more and more agricultural regions face aquifer depletion, businesses and...
Water Stress – Current Trends and Potential Outcomes
Water stress is a key term to fully understand the spectrum of water today and into the future. While there are a lot of complex factors that go into the concept of water stress, the underlying principle is a simple equation: Water Demand > Usable Water...
AQUAOSO Raises $2M Seed Funding Round
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release - Reposted From Globe Newswire FOLSOM, Calif., Feb. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AQUAOSO Technologies, a public benefit water tech company that reduces financial risk for lenders and investors by providing insight into the impact...
Sustainable Water Use in 2020 – Celebrating the Water Wins
2020 was a challenging year. The issue of water scarcity, stress, and quality was no exception. But it wasn’t all bad news, it is important to celebrate the wins and use them to both find and spread some inspiration going into 2021; use the good news as a spur toward...
Sustainable Water Practices Can Be Driven With Ag Lending Relationships
Water stress is a growing concern in some of the country’s most productive agricultural regions, but not all growers and crops will be impacted in the same way. As the U.N.’s Principles for Responsible Investment blog explains, “Water risk comes in several...
How Appropriative Water Rights Work in Ag Lending and Investing
In many parts of the U.S., it’s access to water, not land, that ultimately determines which crops a farmer can grow. An article in Nature reports that, “although it uses only 20% of cultivated lands, nearly 50% of agricultural production relies on irrigation.” As a...
Water Risk Assessment Is A New Imperative in Agricultural Lending
The U.N. Global Compact defines water risk as “the possibility of an entity experiencing a water-related challenge,” which can be anything from water scarcity, to flooding, to the depreciation of water resources, and everything in between. While water issues affect...
The Importance of Water in Agriculture Finance
According to the U.N., demand for food is expected to rise by 50 percent by 2050, which will serve to strengthen the negative results and risks brought on by climate change, such as water scarcity and a loss of biodiversity. “The annual amount of available...
Impact Investing in Agriculture – Mutual Benefits & Acceleration with Data
Impact investing has been growing at an unprecedented pace. In 2020, over $20 billion was invested in impact funds in just the first two quarters of the year – on track to match last year’s investments and then some. Researchers have determined that sustainable...
Farm Investment – How Water Risk Plays A Key Role
Farm investment is intrinsically linked to ensuring a reliable food supply now and into the future (especially in developing countries) but also in water-scarce regions of the U.S. According to the FAO, “Agricultural development depends on the simultaneous...
How Water Analytics Give Agriculture Investors A Competitive Edge
As much as 30% of the planet’s freshwater resources are found in underground aquifers and other groundwater resources, while surface water (lakes, rivers, streams, etc.) makes up only 0.4% of the total freshwater supply. However, the availability of groundwater varies...
How to Value Water Rights in Agriculture Investing
Access to water is a key prerequisite for successful agricultural investing, and yet pricing water into land deals and infrastructure remains a challenge. An analysis from U.C. Berkeley says: “The value of water ... remains difficult to estimate because water markets...
How Sustainable Agriculture Investment Is Linked To Better ROI
With increased water scarcity on the horizon and global food security at risk, investing in sustainable agriculture isn’t just a moral imperative – it’s also a smart business move. In recent years, more and more investors have given more attention to ESG...
How Riparian Water Rights Work In Ag Lending And Investing
Part of our Water Rights Guide In many parts of the world facing increased water scarcity, including the American West, the right to use the water associated with a piece of agricultural land is not guaranteed. Each state has its own system of water rights that may...
Climate Change and Water – Impacts on Water And What Investors Can Do
BlackRock Investment Institute made the headlines in early 2020 for becoming one of the first investment managers to factor climate change into their investment strategy. “Climate risk is investment risk,” they explained in an open letter to stakeholders: “What...
AQUAOSO Officially Launches In Idaho And Montana
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release AQUAOSO Technologies, a water risk management technology company, has grown its service area another 66% with the addition of Idaho and Montana to the Water Security Platform. “This is another big growth milestone for us...
Arizona Water Rights – The Copper State’s Water Rights System
Part of our Water Rights Guide Arizona is one of the driest states in the U.S., with a high risk of drought and abnormally dry conditions across most of its land area. Even so, Arizona maintains a diverse – and growing – agricultural sector that accounts for up to...
Washington State Water Rights – The Evergreen State’s System
Part of our Water Rights Guide Washington State is second only to California in terms of total agricultural exports, with over 300 different crops grown throughout the year for a total of $10 billion in value. The Washington State Department of Agriculture says this...
Idaho Water Rights – Understanding The Gem State’s System
Part of our Water Rights Guide Idaho has over 880 square miles of surface water area and 3.3 million acres of irrigated land, much of it part of the Snake River system. It also has 50 administrative basins in charge of coordinating water use within each region, as...
Oregon Water Rights – How Water Rights Work In The Beaver State
Part of our Water Rights Guide Like much of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon faces wet winters followed by dry summers, especially in the interior of the state. Its farms and ranches are located in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, and rely on snowmelt, rather...