PIP: Most of the world's population growth is taking place in developing countries. Thus, it is important to address the problem of meeting the subsequent growing demand for food. Fresh water and food are required for sustaining human life. To produce food requires considerable amounts of water. Water-scarce countries have 5 obstacles: period wet and dry seasons, most of the year is dry, recurrent droughts, erodible or impenetrable soils resulting in desiccation, and low recharge of aquifers and rivers. These conditions hinder their ability to become self-reliant in food production. Developing countries need to adopt an approach to water supply problems of finding how much water moves in and out of the ground and of the atmosphere and then determine how to best benefit from it, specifically an integrated approach to land and water. Decision makers must consider that forestry and land use practices affect the runoff of water. For example, tree growth and crop production consume rainwater, including returning water to the atmosphere via photosynthesis, leaving less water to recharge aquifers and rivers. Water takes on soluble pollutants as it moves through the environment and the atmosphere. Water storage is needed in arid areas, but construction of dams and reservoirs stirs conflict between human rights of local people adversely affected by construction and those of the people in drought-prone areas who would benefit from this construction. Population growth in urban areas requires bringing more water from ever more distant sources, reducing the amount needed for irrigation. For example, Coimbatore district in India is diverting irrigation water from the Bhavani River system to support industrial growth, Further, the untreated waste of growing urban populations jeopardizes the groundwater and rivers. Inadequate rural development is fueling the population explosion in urban areas. Countries need to take actions to improve rural living conditions, such as job creation and land rehabilitation.