Abstract
Food aid is a critical component of the global food system, particularly when emergency situations arise. For the first time, we evaluate the water footprint of food aid. To do this, we draw on food aid data from theWorld Food Programme and virtual water content estimates from WaterStat. We find that the total water footprint of food aid was 10 km3 in 2005, which represents approximately 0.5% of the water footprint of food trade and 2.0% of the water footprint of land grabbing (i.e., water appropriation associated with large agricultural land deals). The United States is by far the largest food aid donor and contributes 82% of the water footprint of food aid. The countries that receive the most water embodied in aid are Ethiopia, Sudan, North Korea, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Notably, we find that there is significant overlap between countries that receive food aid and those that have their land grabbed. Multivariate regression results indicate that donor water footprints are driven by political and environmental variables, whereas recipient water footprints are driven by land grabbing and food indicators.
Highlights
The water footprint of the global food system has received considerable attention recently in an effort to address critical food and water problems that are global in nature [1]
We explain how we use food aid data and product virtual water contents to quantify the water embodied in bilateral food aid transfers, the total water footprint of the food aid system and the water savings of the food aid system
We determine the countries that are the largest donors and recipients of water embodied in aid and compare with countries participating in land grabbing contracts
Summary
The water footprint of the global food system has received considerable attention recently in an effort to address critical food and water problems that are global in nature [1]. The total water footprint of humanity has been estimated to be 9087 km3 · year−1 during the 1996–2005 period, of which agricultural production accounts for 92% [2]. The food system is globalized, such that the water footprint of international trade in agricultural products was 2038 km3 · year−1 over the same 1996–2005 period [2]. The water footprint of land grabbing has been presented as another important interaction in the global water-food system [4,5]. Food aid is an international exchange of food commodities; its water footprint has not yet been evaluated.
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