living in the village by 80%. Another hurdle for many water-scarce nations is consumption of water. Israel has chosen to take a focus on wastewater reuse to combat losing its water resources. The small desert nation reuses 86% of its wastewater as of 2011, and 40% of the total water used by agriculture was reclaimed wastewater. Desalination, brackish, or effluent water also accounts for 44% of Israel's water supply, and the world's largest seawater desalination plant is the Sorek Desalination Plant located in Tel Aviv. The plant is able to produce 624,000 m3 of water per day. The agricultural output of Israel has increased sevenfold since the country's independence in 1948, and total farmland has increased from 165,000 hectares to 420,000 hectares. The country produces 70% of its own food (in dollar value). Imperial Valley The Imperial Valley is a valley in the Sonoran Desert that has been farmed for 90 years in southern California. Prior to the 20th century, the valley was unsettled except for a few small settlements in the 19th century. It is supplied with water via the All-American Canal, a canal from the Colorado River. It is estimated that around 2/3 of vegetables consumed in the winter in the United States originate from the Imperial Valley. Imperial County is responsible for the most lamb and sheep production in the country. Australia Despite Australia being a vastly arid nation, agriculture has been a staple of the Australian economy since its founding. Australia produces cattle, wheat, milk, wool, barley, poultry, lamb, sugar cane, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Agriculture provides 2.2% of Australia's total employment, and 47% of the total area in Australia is occupied by farms or stations. See also Agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest Arid-zone agriculture Desert greening Dryland farming Solar desalination Agriculture in Israel Agriculture in Australia Ancient Egyptian agriculture Notes External links and further reading O'Bar, Scott, (2013). Alternative Crops for Drylands – Proactively Adapting to Climate Change and Water Shortages. Amaigabe Press, Santa Barbara, CA P. Koohafkan and B.A. Stewart, Water and Cereals in Drylands published by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Earthscan Water and Cereals in Drylands Agriculture by type Agriculture by region