ROME, Nov. 11 (MNA) � The Deputy Director General of FAO, Maria Helena Semedo, warned that the lack of water in some regions threatens food crop production, which should increase by 60 percent to satisfy the demand in 2050.By that date, the population is estimated will be nine billion persons, according to the official of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Tuesday.

According to Semedo, the availability of the vital liquid has been hit by climate change which has made some regions register a greater number of droughts and floods.

The UN organization also warned there are rivers and lakes that are drying up, as is the case of the Aral Sea or Lake Chad, while the hoarding of lands and the expansion of intensive agriculture are worsening the situation of local populations.

In the meeting held at the central headquarters of FAO in Rome, several specialists referred to the negative impact of lack of water resources on the biodiversity and degradations of soils.

They emphasized also on the need to manage financial resources to help the most vulnerable groups.

By Mehr News Agency