 Today, 1.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with a very high recurrence of drought or extreme water scarcity. The 2020 edition of the report on the state of food and agriculture takes stock of the situation and proposes strategies to deal with it. Increasing pressures on freshwater resources threaten both global food security and fragile aquatic ecosystems. What's more, escalating competition for water creates tensions and further exacerbates unequal access to water, which particularly affects the most vulnerable. The strategy proposed in the report follows three objectives. First, ensure more productive use of water in agriculture, both rain-fed and irrigated. Second, safeguard ecological flows to maintain ecosystem function. And finally, guarantee equitable access to water for all. Only with incisive and immediate action can we guarantee future food security and the sustainable use of water resources.