Water security in the agriculture and cattle grazing activities: A systematic review

• Adapt supply–demand to increasing water needs, scale issues and environmental flows. • Use rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and soil moisture sensors to conserve water. • Preserve riparian forests and wetlands to control surface water pollution. • Couple contamination risk evaluation with governance to effectively protect groundwater. • Apply trust and engagement at all institutional levels and use PWS to make governance work. This study reviewed water security issues related to agriculture and cattle grazing activities, based on the findings of 171 articles published in the past two decades, namely 23% before 2020 and 77% between 2020 and 2025. The reviewed studies represented contributions from all continents, with a larger share from Asian, European and American countries. The key results, ( a ) exposed supply–demand challenges related to increasing irrigation needs, allocation scales and regimes, and environmental flow insurance; ( b ) elected rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and soil moisture sensors as prime water conservation measures, and conjunctive use of conventional and non-conventional water sources as strategic conservation pathway; ( c ) indicated the preservation of riparian forests and wetlands, coupled with agriculture and livestock management practices, as fundamental measures of surface water pollution control; ( d ) highlighted the need of coupling contamination risk programs with management initiatives and prioritization of action, to effectively protect groundwater resources; ( e ) brought attention to the need of optimizing the use of floodplain recession water as irrigation source in arid regions; ( f ) showed how governance is in the core of a water-secure river basin, especially if the principle of trust and engagement is broadly implemented at all institutional levels; ( g ) and finally, transported into the discussion the role of payments for water services as pathway to aid governance, bringing watersheds towards more resilient levels of water security. As whole, the current review shed light over key challenges of today’s water security in the rural environment recommending solutions to overcome them.