Abstract
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the water footprints (WFs) of all the main crops on Rhodes island at a municipal unit (MU) scale, as well as for the area of the island as a whole. WF estimations are made with a distinction of rainfed and irrigated crops, using CROPWAT 8.0. Rainfed crops and the drip irrigation method are predominant in the study area, which faces water scarcity issues. Furthermore, a reduction factor in plant coefficients is introduced, to adapt to the drip irrigation technique. From the findings obtained, useful conclusions are drawn regarding the most water-demanding crops, but also the type of their WF component (blue/green/gray). In all categories of crops, there are large fluctuations across MUs, mainly due to the different yields. Higher WF values occur for rainfed and irrigated olives, which constitute the predominant crop, followed by hard and soft wheat. WF is a useful indicator identifying which crops require improvement or restructuring in a study area, and quantifies the exact volumes of water, which is a useful element in the formulation of agricultural policy in the context of sustainable water resources management.
Highlights
Farmers determine the levels of blue water withdrawn through irrigation and green water consumption through the ways in which the rainwater is captured in crop and fodder production [1].Farmers, as the initial part of the supply chain, can be informed and trained in order to adopt water-conserving irrigation technologies, soil improvement methods, the optimized use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and shifting water usage to more water-efficient crops according to the water scarcity of their area, by changing their cropping patterns [2]
From the results of the water footprints (WFs) of the crops in m3 t−1 obtained per municipal unit (MU), useful conclusions are drawn regarding the most water-demanding crops, and the type of water requirement
WFs of rainfed and irrigated olives, which are the most widespread crops grown throughout the study area, prevail as higher values, followed by hard and soft wheat
Summary
Farmers determine the levels of blue water withdrawn through irrigation and green water consumption through the ways in which the rainwater is captured in crop and fodder production [1]. As the initial part of the supply chain, can be informed and trained in order to adopt water-conserving irrigation technologies, soil improvement methods, the optimized use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and shifting water usage to more water-efficient crops according to the water scarcity of their area, by changing their cropping patterns [2]. WF can take into account geographical differences in water availability and capture water return flows and the indirect amount of virtual water [5], and incorporate them into marketable products for their production, leading to a more comprehensive water consumption analysis. The WF is a multidimensional indicator which does not refer to the water volume used, as is the case for the ‘virtual water content’ of a product, and contains further spatial and temporal information that makes it explicit where the WF is located, what source of water is used, and when the water is used [4]
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