Why is research on salinity so important?
In the future, global food needs will continue to increase while the soil and water resources available for new crop production will be limited and of diminished quality. The need to protect soil resources as well as to conserve water will continue to increase. Water must be utilized more efficiently and its quality protected. World agriculture must expand its base of production and increase production on lands currently under cultivation. Appropriate management practices to control salinity must be implemented on irrigated fields, in irrigation projects, and for geohydrologic systems. In order to meet the ever increasing demands for food and utilizing ever decreasing and more marginal soil and water resources, the nation and much of the world community will continue to look to the U. S. Salinity Laboratory for expertise and leadership in salinity and water quality research and applications to solve these problems.
