Revisiting the Concept of 'Virtual Water' in Light of the Impact of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Egypt's Water Interests

Abstract

Revisiting the Concept of 'Virtual Water' in Light of the Impact of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Egypt's Water Interests Marwa Mamdouh-Salem (bio) Introduction Virtual water is one of the few concepts that serious disagreements have not been raised on its definition. Simply, it is the amount of water that is embedded in food or other products needed for its production. It also refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.1 Virtual water allows some countries to support other countries in their water needs. Instead of producing these goods themselves, the importing country can utilize this water for other purposes that else would have been necessary for its production. So, a water scarce country can import products that require a lot of water for their production rather than producing them domestically. By doing so, real water savings can be attained relieving the pressure on the water resources worldwide. Accordingly, several countries – such as Jordan, Israel, and the Gulf States – have consciously formulated policies to enable water saving by [End Page 12] reducing export of water-intensive products, notably crops. It is important to mention that the virtual water content of a product may inform about the environmental impact of consuming this product. By knowing the virtual water content of products, an awareness of the amount of water needed to produce a specific commodity is created. This informs us of the impact that some goods have on the water system. Moreover, the water volume results from the country's import of virtual water should be added to the total water use of the country, thus getting a picture of a nation's real call on the global water resources. Similarly, virtual water export should be subtracted from the volume of the country's water use. The sum of national water use and net virtual water import is known by the 'water footprint' of a country. This 'water footprint' can be a strong tool to show people their impact on the natural resources. The awareness of one's 'individual water footprint' aims to stimulate a more careful use of water. It may also be included in agricultural and industrial production plans and leads to more environment friendly trade policies.2 Ever since Tony Allan introduced an updated version of the concept 'embedded water' in the mid-1990s,3 virtual water trade has been subject to strong academic and scientific debate. This debate produced two main trends: The first trend – which is adopted by the majority – views virtual water as a fact of life exercised by the people since ancient times. The Old Testament tells us about the prophecy of Joseph on how "the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of famine began to come."4 Egyptians stored big quantities of food crops that they cultivated during the time of water abundance to compensate for the food shortage that will happen because of the seven years of drought. This is simply a 'water storing technique' based on the concept of virtual water. In this context, the logic of virtual water is: if the country does not have enough water to cultivate the needed food crops, then it can "import water." This can be done through the importing of crops and other food products from other countries that have water abundance.5 Therefore, this trend endorses the view that since virtual water is a reality, it is necessary to acknowledge [End Page 13] its existence and to start incorporating it – in a scientific way – into the state's national agricultural, economic, and trade strategies. The second trend is an attempt to think outside the virtual water's box as it tends to consider the political, economic, and social factors related to the cultivation of crops. Among the significant works that demonstrate this vision is Jessica Barnes who believes that water is not only limited to agricultural production; rather it should be seen as a more comprehensive process that involves people's lives. Rural environment is characterized by unique social and economic traditions and customs that control the peasants' lifestyle...