Suresh et al. (2026) GRAIN: Mapping the World's Irrigation Canals and Why It Matters for Water, Food, and Climate

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Sarath Suresh, Faisal Hossain, Vimal Kant Mishra, Nehan Hossain
• DOI: 10.1029/2026cn000327

Research Groups

• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
• University of California, Berkeley
• World Bank

Short Summary

This study introduces a comprehensive global map of irrigation canals, called Global Registry of Agricultural Irrigation Network (GRAIN), which documents nearly 3.8 million km of canal geometry.

Objective

• To develop a comprehensive global database of irrigation canals and their impact on agricultural water use.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global scale, covering all continents.
• Temporal Scale: No specific temporal scale mentioned, but the study aims to provide a static map of existing irrigation canals.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned.
• Data sources: Satellite data and field observations.

Main Results

• The GRAIN dataset documents nearly 3.8 million km of canal geometry, providing a comprehensive global map of irrigation canals.
• This dataset will enable better understanding of surface water distribution for crop production and groundwater reliance to compensate for surface-water shortages.

Contributions

• Provides the first-ever comprehensive global map of irrigation canals, filling a significant knowledge gap in agricultural water management research.
• Opens up opportunities to leverage satellite data for monitoring agricultural water use.

Funding

• Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Grant ID: OPP1111701)

Citation

@article{Suresh2026GRAIN,
  author = {Suresh, Sarath and Hossain, Faisal and Mishra, Vimal Kant and Hossain, Nehan},
  title = {GRAIN: Mapping the World's Irrigation Canals and Why It Matters for Water, Food, and Climate},
  journal = {Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026cn000327},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026cn000327}
}