Shrinking My Water Footprint: How Much Water Do We Use and Where Does it Comes From?

By Shiney Varghese, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Posted May 5, 2009.

Sometime ago I came across an excellent resource, the Water Footprint Network, that tries to calculate "virtual water" footprints, i.e., the water embedded in the many traded commodities and products that countries import or export, and that I consume. According to the site, it takes 16,000 liters of water to produce a kilo of beef, 5,000 liters for one kilogram of cheese, 3,000 liters to produce a kilo of rice (one of the most water-intensive grains), 1,800 liters for one kilo of soy beans, 50 liters for one 100 gram orange, and 170 liters for a 200 ml. glass of orange juice.

The site also provides the water footprint of a few plant- and animal-derived non-food products. Unfortunately, our knowledge is still in too preliminary a stage for it to provide the water footprint for complex industrial products such as synthetic clothes, plastics, electronic equipment and so on. Granted, these calculations are still not 100 percent accurate. For example, the Web site does not take into account the specific geographical location where a commodity is grown/produced, since depending on the specific agro-ecological conditions, the water footprint of a crop will vary. Nor does it take into account the water quality impact of the production process. But it is a very good first step, and gives plenty of water for thought.

Unfortunately, public policies promote invisible water consumption at individual and societal levels. National policies on agriculture, industry and energy production often assume that water is plentiful or cheap. Water is rarely a limiting factor in setting public policy.

For example, our Farm Bill supports a dominant agriculture model of just a few primary commodity crops that are extremely water-intensive. Agricultural practices that include water stewardship, such as sustainable agriculture, are not similarly rewarded. In moving forward, it is essential that we shift public policy to acknowledge the importance of water, and break this vicious cycle in which we are trapped.

Recently, I found some ideas to reduce my personal water footprint: canning and/or freezing summer vegetables (instead of buying fresh imported vegetables in the middle of winter); reducing meat and other animal-based food items in my diet; shifting to local and/or fair-traded products that are sustainably produced; reducing the amount of processed food I buy and the food I waste; carrying a stainless steel water container; using biodegradable and less polluting cleaning products; using public transport; and buying less. That is a start for me!

 *A version of this article originally appeared in the Spring 2009 edition of A Matter of Spirit, published by the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center.
 

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Shiney Varghese is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

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