Water Productivity in the Agricultural Sector
Water Resource Efficiency Workshop
16 – 17 June 2011, EEA, Copenhagen
Maite M. Aldaya
Consultant, UNEP
Associate, WFN
Green water
► volume of rainwater stored in the soil
Blue water
► volume of fresh surface or groundwater
Producing more goods and services using less water…
Water efficiency
The accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result with
the minimal amount of water feasible (m3/product units)
Water productivity
Ratio of the volume of benefit, i.e. output, service or satisfaction
to the amount of water used in the production process
(product units/m3)
The water footprint concept
► The WF is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect
water use of a consumer or producer.
► Water use is measured in terms of:
- water volumes consumed (evaporated or otherwise not returned)
- polluted per unit of time
► Geographically explicit
► A WF can be calculated for:
- process
- product
- consumer
- group of consumers (e.g. municipality, province, state, nation)
- producer (e.g. a public organization, private enterprise)
[Hoekstra et al., 2011]
National water accounting framework
Internal
water
footprint
+
External
water
footprint
+
Production
Virtual water
import for reexport
+
Virtual
water
import
Consumption
+
=
=
Import
=
Traditional
statistics on
water use
(withdrawals)
WF of
national
consumpt.
+
Water use
for export +
WF
within
nation
=
Virtual
water
export
=
=
Virtual
water
budget
Export
Water footprint of Spain
Distinctive aspects:
Integration of hydrological, ecological and economic aspects
Socio-political and institutional drivers pending
Participation of the stakeholders-farmers. WIN-WIN solution
In Spain the policy of ‘more crops and jobs per drop’
has to change to
‘more cash and care of nature per drop’
Is this feasible?
Water footprint of Spain
Water footprint of Spain (46 Km3) (2004)
7%
9%
84%
Internal WF (inside Spain)
External WF (in other countries)
13 Km3 (28%)
33 Km3 (72%)
1%
4%
Agricultural
Urban
96%
Industrial
99%
Source: based on
Garrido et al. (2010)
Water productivity in agriculture (Spain)
Water apparent productivity and blue and green water footprint of
crop production in Spanish agriculture (2002)
4.5
4.0
3.5
10,000
3.0
8,000
2.5
6,000
2.0
1.5
4,000
1.0
2,000
0.5
Ci
tri
c
Tu
be
Fr
r
es
h
fru
it
Fo
dd
er
Vi
ne
ya
rd
Ve
ge
ta
bl
es
0.0
s
0
Water apparent productivity (€/m 3)
12,000
Crop blue water use
Crop green water use
Water apparent productivity
Ce
In
re
du
al
st
s
ria
lc
ro
ps
Pu
lse
s
Dr
y
fr u
it s
O
liv
es
Crop water use (Million m 3)
14,000
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
Water productivity in agriculture (Spain)
Most blue water irrigation in Spain is used for low value crops:
•10% of the blue water (mainly groundwater) produces 80% of the
economic value of irrigated agriculture
• 80% of the blue water produces low value crops
Total water use in agriculture by crop productivity range as
percent of volume and value added (2001-2002)
Source: Aldaya et al. (2008)
Water footprint of Spain
• Livestock economic relevance has increased during the last decade;
• Most livestock is exported (mainly pork) while grown with imported
fodder (virtual water);
• Increased water dependency.
Crop-related virtual water imports by country of origin
35000
30000
France
Brazil
USA
Ukraine
Argentina
Portugal
Germany
U.K
Tunisia
Uganda
Indonesia
TOTAL
Million m 3
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
2006
Food (virtual water) trade drivers
Virtual water trade mitigates drought cycles (acts as a countercyclical effect)
Virtual water trade is mainly a consequence of agricultural (crop
and livestock) policies:
boosts water and land productivity
favours specialisation and efficiency
permits more efficient use of available green water
Enables a closer connection of water uses in the basin with
global water use
Decoupling economic growth from water use
Water footprint and virtual water trade per gross domestic product
10.0
Water footprint
Virtual water exports
Total water use
Virtual water imports
Net virtual water imports
9.0
8.0
m 3/ cent €
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Year
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
Water footprint of Spain
WF Guadiana river basin - green and blue (surface and groundwater)
- related economic analysis
CUENCA
TOLEDO
CÁCERES
Spanish regulation (2008)
requires including the WF
analysis in the River
Basin Management Plans
according to the EU
WFD.
835
142
1286
93
745 905
CIUDAD
REAL
BADAJOZ
UPPER GUADIANA
ALBACETE
MIDDLE GUADIANA
3
10 21
LOWER
HUELVA
GUADIANA
34
43 74
CÓRDOBA
PROVINCES
GREEN WATER
UPPER GUADIANA
BLUE SURFACE WATER
MIDDLE GUADIANA
BLUE GROUNDWATER
LOWER GUADIANA
FORMER LOWER GUADIANA II OR TOP DOMAIN
SEVILLA
TOP DOMAIN
0
25 50
100
150
200 Km
Source: Aldaya and Llamas (2008)
Water footprint in Spain
Incorporating the Water Footprint
and Environmental Water
Requirements into policy:
Reflections from Doñana Region
(Spain)
(Aldaya et al., 2010)
Water footprint of Spain
Water footprint into policy
•
Spain is the first country that has included a water footprint analysis
into governmental policy making in the context of the EU Water
Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC).
In 2008 the Spanish Government approved a regulation requiring the
water footprint analysis for the development of the River Basin
Management Plans according to the EU WFD (BOE, 2008).
•
Recently Spanish regulation about sustainable tourism mentions the
water footprint (Plan FuturE 2010) (BOE, 2010)
Water footprint of Spain
Conclusions
1. The WF is a good method for IWRM, but needs further refinements
2. The food (virtual water) trade is usually driven by comparative
advantages. The relative scarcity of water may not be a relevant
driver.
3. Socio-political factors in water management might be as important as
the environmental and economic ones. An equilibrium between
utilitarian and intangible values is necessary.
4. Spanish situation suggests that it is time to change (in industrialized
and emerging countries) from a policy of ‘more crops per drop’ to
a policy of ‘more cash and care of nature per drop’
Conclusions
Producing more goods and services…..
….with less water
.…with less impact
Conclusions
Water efficiency and productivity
- Framework to inform and support decision-making
- Inform water allocation decisions
- Awareness raising
- Promote product transparency
- Eco-efficiency (operational and supply chain)
- Benchmarking
Challenges
- Database improvement (industrial blue water consumption)
- Uncertainties (data used and accounts)
- Communication (volumes and impacts)
- Governance (good governance structure for implementation)
- Water-pricing policies (incentives for efficient water use, role CAP)
Thanks!
OBSERVATORIO DEL AGUA
WATER OBSERVATORY