Greece - Nearly a third of Greece is close to becoming desert, despite the fact that it has one of the highest annual rainfall figures in the Mediterranean. A joint study by WWF-Greece and the Agriculture University of Athens places the blame upon farmers, whose wasteful irrigation practices use up 86% of the country's water (according to the study). Worldwide, the average figure for agricultural consumption is 70%. Panagiota Maragou of the WWF reported that 35% of Greece is showing signs of desertification and 46% is at moderate risk.