scholarly journals The Water Footprint of Diets: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Harris ◽  
Cami Moss ◽  
Edward J M Joy ◽  
Ruth Quinn ◽  
Pauline F D Scheelbeek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Per Capita

ABSTRACT Agricultural water requirements differ between foods. Population-level dietary preferences are therefore a major determinant of agricultural water use. The “water footprint” (WF) represents the volume of water consumed in the production of food items, separated by water source; blue WF represents ground and surface water use, and green WF represents rain water use. We systematically searched for published studies using the WF to assess the water use of diets. We used the available evidence to quantify the WF of diets in different countries, and grouped diets in patterns according to study definition. “Average” patterns equated to those currently consumed, whereas “healthy” patterns included those recommended in national dietary guidelines. We searched 7 online databases and identified 41 eligible studies that reported the dietary green WF, blue WF, or total WF (green plus blue) (1964 estimates for 176 countries). The available evidence suggests that, on average, European (170 estimates) and Oceanian (18 estimates) dietary patterns have the highest green WFs (median per capita: 2999 L/d and 2924 L/d, respectively), whereas Asian dietary patterns (98 estimates) have the highest blue WFs (median: 382 L/d per capita). Foods of animal origin are major contributors to the green WFs of diets, whereas cereals, fruits, nuts, and oils are major contributors to the blue WF of diets. “Healthy” dietary patterns (425 estimates) had green WFs that were 5.9% (95% CI: −7.7, −4.0) lower than those of “average” dietary patterns, but they did not differ in their blue WFs. Our review suggests that changes toward healthier diets could reduce total water use of agriculture, but would not affect blue water use. Rapid dietary change and increasing water security concerns underscore the need for a better understanding of the amount and type of water used in food production to make informed policy decisions.

scholarly journals A spatially detailed blue water footprint of the United States economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 3007-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rushforth ◽  
Benjamin L. Ruddell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Consumptive Use ◽  
The Us ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale (county-level) federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), the US Department of Energy (USDOE), and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the US water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. Four virtual water accounting scenarios were developed with minimum (Min), median (Med), and maximum (Max) consumptive use scenarios and a withdrawal-based scenario. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the US is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (FCUMed′) of the US is 589 m3 per capita (FWithdrawal′: 1298 m3 per capita; FCUMax′: 720 m3 per capita; FCUMin′: 198 m3 per capita). The US hydroeconomic network is centered on cities. Approximately 58 % of US water consumption is for direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total US blue water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the western US. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic-sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.

scholarly journals The Water Footprint of Kathmandu Metropolitan City

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Mohan Bikram Shrestha ◽  
Udhab Raj Khadka
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Industrial Water ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Water Project ◽  
Metropolitan City ◽  
Industrial Water Use ◽  
Per Capita

The water footprint is consumption-based indicator of water use. Water footprint is defined as the total volume of both indirect and the direct freshwater used for producing goods and services consumed by individuals or inhabitants of community. There are many studies regarding the direct water use but studies incorporating both direct and indirect water use is deficient. This study tries to estimate total volume of water based on the consumption pattern of different commodities by individuals of Kathmandu Metropolitan city using extended water footprint calculator. The average water footprint of individuals appears to be 1145.52 m3/yr. The indirect and direct water footprint appears to be 1070.82 Mm3/yr and 46.59 Mm3/yr respectively which cumulatively give the total water footprint of Kathmandu Metropolitan City of 1117.40 Mm3/yr. This volume is equal to 2.27 times the annual flow the River Bagmati. The indirect water footprint includes food water footprint of 1055.60 Mm3/yr or 2.14 times the annual flow and industrial water use of 15.22 Mm3/yr or 0.03 times the annual flow while the direct water footprint includes domestic water use of 46.59 Mm3/yr or 0.09 times the annual flow. In food water footprint, cereals consumption shared the highest contribution of 34.82% followed by meat consumption with share of 32.62% in total water footprint. Per capita per day water use of inhabitants appears to be 3138 liters which includes water use in food items of 2965 liters, industrial water use of 43 liters and domestic water use of 131 liters. The per capita per day domestic water use is 90 liters more than supplement of 41 liters by the water operator of Kathmandu Valley. Per capita per day domestic water use is already 5 liters more than expected improvement in water supplement of 126 liters per capita per day in 2025 after accomplishment of Melamchi water project. And, it is expected to increase further observing the rapid urbanization of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The study showed water footprint of individuals is directly related to food consumption behavior, life style and services used therefore it is necessary to initiate water offsetting measures at individual level and water operator to find environmentally sustainable alternatives along with ongoing water project to fulfill demand. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 28, 2014: 73-80

scholarly journals Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Luca Rossi ◽  
Luca Regni ◽  
Sara Rinaldi ◽  
Paolo Sdringola ◽  
Roberto Calisti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Agricultural Water Use ◽  
Umbria Region

Life Cycle Assessment (the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle), Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint assessments play an important role in decision-making processes. These assessments can help guide land management decisions and will likely play a larger role in the future, especially in natural areas with high biodiversity. Agriculture is a substantial consumer of fresh water, so it is important to identify causes and possible solutions to optimize agricultural water use. Water footprint assessments consider water consumption from several points of view and aid in reaching Sustainable Development Goals. Olive trees are a widespread agricultural crop growing in the Mediterranean Basin and are particularly important in the Umbria region in Italy. This paper estimates the water footprint impact related to the production of 1 kg of olives in a rainfed olive orchard managed using low environmental impact techniques. Eleven years of data collection (meteorological data, olives yield data, processes data) are analyzed for typical rural conditions. The results show that local management techniques have lower water requirements than standard international usages. These results can be used to improve and to further explore agricultural water use.

scholarly journals A Decoupling Analysis of the Crop Water Footprint Versus Economic Growth in Beijing, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Huang ◽  
Mengqi Wang ◽  
Zhongren Zhou ◽  
Yajuan Yu ◽  
Yixing Bi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Agricultural Water Use

Beijing, the capital of China, is experiencing a serious lack of water, which is becoming a main factor in the restriction of the development of the social economy. Due to the low economic efficiency and high consumption proportion of agricultural water use, the relationship between economic growth and agricultural water use is worth investigating. The “decoupling” index is becoming increasingly popular for identifying the degree of non-synchronous variation between resource consumption and economic growth. However, few studies address the decoupling between the crop water consumption and agricultural economic growth. This paper involves the water footprint (WF) to assess the water consumption in the crop production process. After an evaluation of the crop WF in Beijing, this paper applies the decoupling indicators to examine the occurrence of non-synchronous variation between the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and crop WF in Beijing from 1981 to 2013. The results show that the WF of crop production in 2013 reduced by 62.1% compared to that in 1980 — in total, 1.81 × 109 m3. According to the decoupling states, the entire study period is divided into three periods. From 1981 to 2013, the decoupling states represented seventy-five percent of the years from 1981 to 1992 (Period I) with a moderate decoupling degree, more than ninety percent from 1993 to 2003 (Period II) with a very strong decoupling degree and moved from non-decoupling to strong decoupling from 2004 to 2013 (Period III). Adjusting plantation structure, technology innovation and raising awareness of water-saving, may promote the decoupling degree between WF and agricultural GDP in Beijing.

scholarly journals Agricultural Water Management Model Based on Grey Water Footprints under Uncertainty and its Application

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Song ◽  
Chao Dai ◽  
Qian Tan ◽  
Shan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Grey Water ◽  
Availability Constraints ◽  
Negative Impacts

The grey water footprint theory was introduced into a fractional programming model to alleviate non-point source pollution and increase water-use efficiency through the adjustment of crop planting structure. The interval programming method was also incorporated within the developed framework to handle parametric uncertainties. The objective function of the model was the ratio of economic benefits to grey water footprints from crop production, and the constraints contained water availability constraints, food security constraints, planting area constraints, grey water footprint constraints and non-negative constraints. The model was applied to the Hetao Irrigation District of China. It was found that, based on the data in the year of 2016, the optimal planting plans generated from the developed model would reduce 34,400 m3 of grey water footprints for every 100 million Yuan gained from crops. Under the optimal planting structure, the total grey water footprints would be reduced by 21.9 million m3, the total economic benefits from crops would be increased by 1.138 billion Yuan, and the irrigation water would be saved by 44 million m3. The optimal results could provide decision-makers with agricultural water use plans with reduced negative impacts on the environment and enhanced economic benefits from crops.

Mean water footprint of national consumption per capita (1996-2005)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloé Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Industrial Production ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Annual Water ◽  
Table Data ◽  
National Consumption

This layer presents estimations of the mean annual water footprint of national consumption per capita for the period 1996-2005. The water footprint is a measure of human’s appropriation of freshwater resources; it has three components: green, blue and grey. Estimations are given in cubic meter per capita per year. In the table, data are also available disaggregated per sectors: agricultural production, industrial production and domestic water use. A detailed description of the methodology and results can be found in the main report available here: http://temp.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Report50-NationalWaterFootprints-Vol1.pdf . For more information, visit the Water Footprint Network website: http://temp.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterStat Cost Use/Reuse

scholarly journals Assessment of Spring Potential for Sustainable Agriculture: A Case Study in Lesser Himalayas

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Kumar ◽  
Sumit Sen
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Requirement ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Agricultural Water Use

HighlightsSpring flows are the primary source of water for rural Himalayan communities.An attempt was made to understand the potential of spring discharge as an alternative irrigation source.Improved management of resources is vital to account for agricultural water use.Managing water resources is a collective endeavor for achieving water security.Abstract.With increasing population and restricted water and land resources, there is a growing concern for better planning of the available water and land resources. In the mountainous regions or mountains, there is limited land with uncertain water availability as the rainfall patterns pose a major threat to the livelihood of the people. Therefore, it becomes necessary to quantify and manage the available water resources in a sustainable way. People in the Himalayas are mainly dependent on the springs for drinking water, but not much attention has been dedicated to the development and conservation of these springs. A spring in the Tehri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand state of India, has been continuously monitored to quantify the available water for domestic use and agriculture. In this study, an attempt is made to understand the potential of a spring for agricultural water use by evaluating the crop water requirement and potential improved strategies to increase the water productivity. Analysis proves that crop evapotranspiration is higher (946-1062 mm) for crops with extended duration (165-180 days) as compared to evapotranspiration (92.91 mm) of short duration (60 days) crops. The total water requirement for major crops in the area is 6411.35 mm and the monitored spring has the potential to supplement this water requirement. Adopting the system of rice intensification to increase the rice yield (by 49%), increases the water productivity. The sensitivity analysis of benefit to cost suggests that, an increase in the crop yield by 30% can increase the revenue in the study area by Rs.3687197, which is 217% more than the input costs. Therefore, it is essential to optimize the available water and area for irrigation to achieve the global water security for increasing population. Further, utilizing springs as potential irrigation sources will support rural community in meeting domestic water requirement and achieving environmental sustainability. Findings of this study will help in planning and implementing management strategies that are resilient in the face of future changes and improve the economic condition of farmers. Keywords: Crop evapotranspiration, Himalaya, Optimization, Sensitivity analysis, Spring.

scholarly journals Water Use Efficiency and Sensitivity Assessment for Agricultural Production System from the Water Footprint Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9665
Author(s):  
Weiwei Wang ◽  
Jigan Wang ◽  
Xinchun Cao
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Agricultural Water Use ◽  
Efficiency Performance ◽  
Use Efficiency

The increasing shortage of water resources and the growing demand for crops make water use efficiency a decisive factor for the sustainable and healthy development of the agricultural system. In order to evaluate agricultural water use efficiency from the water footprint perspective, the current study constructed the comprehensive water efficiency (CWE) index based on eight single agricultural water use efficiency performance parameters. The water resources utilization and efficiency in the wheat production system of China from 2006 to 2015 were analyzed and the sensitivity of single indices for CWE was identified. The results show that the national crop water footprint (CWF) for wheat production was estimated to be, including 46.3% blue, 36.6% green and 17.0% blue components, respectively. The spatial distribution patterns of water use efficiency performance indices were different. CWE of the country was 0.387, showing an upward trend over time and decreased from the southeast to the northwest geographically. Crop water productivity (CWP), productive water ratio (PWR) and rainwater consumption ratio (RCR) turned out to be the first three sensitive parameters for CWE in China. The improvement of China’s overall CWE relied on reducing inefficient blue-green water use and increasing the output capacity for per unit water. Advanced agricultural water-saving technologies were in high need for goal achievement, especially for the Huang-Huai-Hai plain, which held more than 70% of Chinese wheat production and CWF. The results provide support for efficient utilization and sustainable development of water resources in the agricultural system.

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