Water is essential for agriculture which uses 70–80% of withdrawn fresh water. By 2050 the global need for increased food/feed production for 3.0 billion additional humans will greatly expand agriculture’s need for water. Climate change also will impact water and agriculture. The effects of crop and animal production on water quality—nutrient and pesticide contamination and soil salinization—need to be reduced to meet quality standards. Expanded agronomic, engineering and genetic research and implementation thereof are essential to improve water-use effciency, availability and quality as prescribed here for agricultural water and food security.