globally, about 4 percent of precipitation falling on land each year (about ), is used by rain-fed agriculture and about half is subject to evaporation and transpiration in forests and other natural or quasi-natural landscapes. the remainder, which goes to groundwater replenishment and surface runoff, is sometimes called “total actual renewable freshwater resources”. its magnitude was in 2012 estimated at /year. it represents water that can be used either in-stream or after withdrawal from surface and groundwater sources. of this remainder, about were withdrawn in 2007, of which , or 69 percent, were used by agriculture, and , or 19 percent, by other industry. most agricultural use of withdrawn water is for irrigation, which uses about 5.1 percent of total actual renewable freshwater resources. world water use has been growing rapidly in the last hundred years (see graph from "new scientist" article).