It was just a few years ago that we were showering with buckets and dobbing in the neighbours for washing the car on the wrong day.

But as the crippling drought has subsided, our water crisis has fallen off the radar.

Australians use more water per capita than anyone in the world. With increasing population pressures, water security is fast unfolding as the most critical environmental issue the world is facing.

Arup Australasia says our agricultural sector uses around 65% of our total water consumption. As global meat consumption skyrockets, this figure will increase.

Water Leader for Arap Australasia Daniel Lambert and says we may need to re-consider our agricultural production.

'One of the things we'll see is looking at the type of crops we grow,' he says.

'What are the right crops and areas for Australia? What are the right types of stock we should be running? And what is economically viable?

'It's important to plan for the future rather than be reactive,' Mr Lambert said.

He says it makes more sense to grow water intensive crops, such as rice, in Asia, where there is higher rainfall.

Rice grower Les Gordon says the industry has been making incremental changes in water management over the last few decades.

'We produce so many more meals now per megalitre than we used to,' he says.

'But it's not all about water. It's about research and development around rice breeding. The other issue that's bubbling away is what might be water efficient might not be energy efficient.

'So even if you are saving water under different water management systems, you might have huge energy inputs to manage that system.' Mr Gordon said.