"Lack of Water Leads to Inability to Eat"—A Global Survey of 121 Countries Highlights the Crisis of Food and Water

Access to clean drinking water is unavailable.
When hearing this issue, many might first think of "thirst" or "infectious diseases." However, a new international study reveals a reality much closer to the roots of daily life. In places lacking safe water, food scarcity is more likely, and even the safety of the food consumed is threatened.

A research team from the University of Southern California and the International Water Management Institute analyzed survey data from 121 countries and 124,003 people, revealing a global link between lack of access to clean drinking water and food scarcity and food safety concerns. The study was published in the scientific journal "Nature Food."

The weight of these results lies in the fact that water scarcity and food scarcity are not merely "similar problems occurring simultaneously in poor countries." The tendency for those lacking clean drinking water to have difficulty obtaining food was confirmed not only in low-income countries but also in high-income countries. This means that the water issue cannot be dismissed solely by a country's wealth. Small fractures within society, such as in urban corners, rural areas, post-disaster regions, and communities left behind by infrastructure, directly connect to insecurity at the dining table.

According to the study, globally, 38% of people lacking clean drinking water experienced food scarcity. In contrast, only 8% of those with access to clean drinking water experienced food scarcity. The gap was even larger in low-income countries, where 61% of those lacking clean water experienced food scarcity. High percentages were observed in regions such as East Africa, Central and West Africa, and South Asia.

Why does a lack of water endanger food as well?

Firstly, water and food are based on the same living foundation. Poverty, conflict, climate change, disasters, infrastructure deterioration, and housing instability. These factors affect not only wells and water supply but also farmland, markets, logistics, refrigeration facilities, and cooking environments. Situations where only water is lacking, and food is abundant may actually be rare.

Secondly, water is essential for handling food safely. Washing vegetables, boiling rice and beans, cleaning cooking utensils, washing hands, and keeping storage containers clean—all these require water. If the water is contaminated or insufficiently available, the risk of food poisoning or infectious diseases increases, even if ingredients are available. Meals intended to satisfy hunger may lead to other health damages.

Thirdly, the time and money spent obtaining water deprive households of the opportunity to purchase and cook food. In households that must fetch water from afar, that time cuts into work, study, childcare, and shopping. In households that must buy water, the cost pressures the food budget. Water and food compete within the household budget, and a shortage of one deepens the shortage of the other.

The study particularly emphasizes the limitations of treating "water," "food," and "food safety" as separate policy issues. If departments responsible for water supply, agricultural support, food hygiene supervision, and poverty measures operate in silos, they cannot adequately address the problems occurring simultaneously in daily life.

For example, even if food aid is provided in a region, without clean water, the distributed food may not be safely cooked. Conversely, even if water infrastructure is improved, if poverty and rising food prices are left unaddressed, residents' nutritional status may not improve. School meals, public health in the community, agricultural water, water supply during disasters, and hygiene education at home need to be designed as interconnected issues.

Looking at reactions on social media, it's more a stage where scientific news accounts introduce the research title, and interested readers begin to perceive it in the context of the water crisis and food security, rather than a large-scale debate. The Phys.org article itself had few comments and limited shares at the time of checking. However, the reactions that tend to emerge when such themes spread on social media are clear.

One reaction is the surprise of "taking a life with running water for granted." Living in developed countries, water issues can seem like problems of distant nations. However, the study shows that even in high-income countries, people without access to clean drinking water are more likely to face food scarcity. Considering water outages during disasters, aging water infrastructure, homelessness, and infrastructure deficiencies in impoverished areas, this is not someone else's problem for Japan either.

Another reaction is "food aid alone is not enough." When it comes to hunger measures, the supply of rice, wheat, canned goods, and nutritional supplements is highlighted. However, without water necessary for cooking and hygiene, the value of the provided food cannot be fully realized. On social media, whenever such research is shared, voices advocating for considering "water, hygiene, and food as a set" tend to emerge.

On the other hand, there is a calm perspective that "ultimately, it's a matter of infrastructure investment." Water shortages do not occur simply because it doesn't rain. They involve multiple systems, including water source management, piping, water purification, sewage, wastewater treatment, pricing systems, regional politics, land use, and agricultural water demand. Short-term aid is difficult to resolve, requiring long-term public investment and regional management.

In this regard, the study does not merely appeal that "water scarcity is a pitiable issue." Rather, it repositions water as a foundational risk that extends to nutrition, health, labor, education, and economic stability. Without water, meals cannot be prepared. If meals are unstable, health deteriorates. If health deteriorates, one cannot work. If one cannot work, the ability to afford water and food further diminishes. Thus, the vulnerability of life connects like a chain.

The World Health Organization points out that clean and sufficient water is crucial for public health, food production, and poverty reduction. As of 2022, approximately 6 billion people, or 73% of the world's population, used safely managed drinking water services, while 2.2 billion did not meet that standard. Furthermore, at least 1.7 billion people are said to use drinking water sources potentially contaminated with feces. These figures indicate that water issues remain a global challenge.

Additionally, climate change and population growth are making the situation even more difficult. Droughts, extreme rainfall, floods, overuse of groundwater, and increased demand for agricultural water affect both drinking water and food production. A report from the United Nations University warns that the world is entering a stage that can be called "water bankruptcy." This refers to a state where natural storage systems like groundwater, wetlands, rivers, and glaciers are so damaged that they are difficult to recover, not just temporary water shortages.

Viewing water and food issues separately can lead to misunderstanding the realities of life. For those standing in the kitchen, water is not just a beverage. It is what washes ingredients, fills pots, washes children's hands, cleans dishes, prevents illness, and competes with food expenses within a limited household budget.

The question posed by this study is simple.
If we are to protect the "right to eat," shouldn't we simultaneously protect "access to water"?

Hunger measures do not end with delivering food. It is necessary to consider safe water, sanitation facilities, regional infrastructure, income support, disaster measures, and adaptation to climate change as a whole. A cup of water from the tap not only quenches thirst. It is also the first drop that protects the dining table, health, and supports social stability.

Source URL

Phys.org: Refer to the research summary, researcher comments, policy recommendations, and survey subjects.
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-gaps-linked-hunger-unsafe-food.html

Nature Food published paper: Refer to the research text and summary using World Risk Poll data from 121 countries and 124,003 people. Refer to water scarcity, food scarcity, and food safety risks.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-026-01363-8

USC Price School article: Refer to the research team, survey overview, regional and income-specific figures, researcher comments, and proposed measures.
https://priceschool.usc.edu/news/water-food-insecurity-countries/

WHO Drinking Water Fact Sheet: Refer to global drinking water access, contaminated water, health impacts, and relationships with sanitation and food production.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water

United Nations University "Global Water Bankruptcy" article: Refer to background information supplementing water scarcity, groundwater depletion, climate change, and food security.
https://unu.edu/inweh/news/world-enters-era-global-water-bankruptcy

EurekAlert! release: For supplementary confirmation of the research announcement.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1130416