Assessment of Agricultural Virtual Water Export of Türkiye

Abstract

As the negative effects of climate change are amplified, the agriculture sector is becoming more fragile. Food security is under risk because agriculture is highly dependent on climatic conditions and availability of water resources all over the world. For this reason, the concepts of virtual water and water footprint have begun to gain importance as decision-support tools for the effective and efficient use of water. However, there is a gap in the literature, where few studies focus on virtual water trade. Given the increasing stress caused by reasons such as the scarcity of water resources and climate change, this concept is likely to gain serious attention in the coming years. Türkiye is a water-stressed country whose water resources are decreasing due to the impact of climate change. More effective water management is needed to meet the increasing demand. In this study, virtual water was determined for Türkiye's agricultural export, and it was observed that crops with high water footprint but low economic returns were also exported in large amounts. It was revealed that the virtual amount of water exported by the evaluated crops was 5.9 billion m3 annually. This value is high enough to meet the domestic water needs of a metropolitan city like Istanbul for seven years. It is evident that water footprint and virtual water concepts would help decision makers to support optimized water consumption and sustainable water management.