Agricultural trade is said to be the global movement of water, since crops generally move where water is plentiful to where it is less available. Since it is believed that climate change will have significant impacts on rainfall, it is important to monitor geographic changes in precipitation. FAO data available for the six-year period from 2012 to 2017 shows that 20 countries reported net increases in rainfall and 19 countries reported decreases.

Globally, the data shows a one percent increase in overall precipitation over the period. Most changes by country were relatively minor. However, four countries stand out for relatively larger changes in rainfall. A persistent decline in annual rainfall would encourage greater investment in irri...