Water abstraction and irrigation rules south of the Border face their biggest overhaul for more than 50 years under plans contained in a consultation by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Environment Agency.

Given the incessant rain and flooding this winter, it's hard to believe that Westminster is considering developing more rigid systems of rationing water for irrigation.

Water is set to become an increasingly scarce resource in the future and many farmers are going to have to capture and store water in reservoirs to augment their tightly-controlled abstraction rights.

Agriculture is a major user of both ground and surface water for irrigation - accounting for about 70% of water use worldwide.

Modern irrigation practices can help improve crop productivity and yields. Unfortunately, irrigation also causes excessive water depletion from waterways and aquifers, and can cause erosion and soil degradation.According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 47% of the world's population could be living under severe water stress by 2050. "The world is thirsty because it is hungry," reports the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

There is now a pressing need for farmers around the world to reduce water consumption and develop sustainable practices.

Europe uses, on average, 44% of water for agriculture. In the USA, agriculture accounts for around 80% of water consumption, and in western USA states, such as California, more than 90% of water use is for agricultural purposes.

California is facing the worst drought since records began, 100 years ago. The state also supplies nearly half of the country's fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Around the world farmers are using innovative practices to utilise water more efficiently and in lesser quantities.

In Syria, in the four regions hit hardest by groundwater shortages, the FAO helped the Ministry of Agriculture improve irrigation technology and management techniques. The project benefited 2750 farmers by providing drip irrigation systems and training farmers on their installation.

Drip irrigation saves water and fertiliser inputs by allowing water to drip slowly through a network of pipes to the roots of plants. That's a technique that can be used on small and large farms all over the world.

Rethinking crop production can conserve water resources. Farmers on Cape Verde converted their sugar cane plantations - which use a lot of water - to more diverse crop production, including cultivating peppers and tomatoes, that require less resources and are more suitable to the region's climate.

In Israel and Spain, farmers have started re-using drainage water from urban areas mixed with groundwater for supplying water to crops.

Across India, the Watershed Organisation Trust regenerates watershed communities by harvesting rainwater, organising communities to manage the land in a sustainable way, optimising irrigation, and planting crops based on water availability.

Despite the fact that the land hasn't yet properly dried out in many parts of Scotland, water shortages also look set to affect us.

The Water Framework Directive requires that Scotland, along with the rest of the EU, must maintain water flows within rivers and burns at a standard that ensure "good ecological status". As a result, Scotland also has a system of licensing water abstraction for irrigation.

Research from the Centre of Expertise for Water at the James Hutton Institute suggested that by 2050, the effects of climate change in Scotland and an increase in the growing of crops with high water demand (in part due to their suitability in a warmer climate), will lead to localised problems.

These problems are likely to be greatest in small catchments in the east of Scotland, where there are shorter rivers that have their source away from the higher rainfall areas in the west.

In order to reduce the risk of water stress in the high-value crops of those areas, the research recommends that farmers take action such as building water storage, installing drip irrigation and planting water-efficient and drought-resistant crops.

Another idea being promoted is the development of Water Abstraction Groups (WAGs). They are commonly found in eastern England and other dry parts of the EU. Many Scottish farmers already informally allocate water resources by only abstracting on certain days of the week or at certain times. WAGs are essentially a formalisation of such arrangements.

Yes, water is becoming increasingly precious! After such a dreadfully wet winter, the law of averages would suggest this summer could well be dry enough for irrigation to be needed again in some areas.