Abstract
The water footprint (WF) is an indicator of indirect and direct fresh water use. In respect of facilitating decision-making processes, WF gives an excellent perspective on how and where fresh water is used in the supply chain. More than 39 million people live in Iraq and, with a growing population, there is a water shortage and a rising demand for food that cannot be met in the future. In this study, the WF of wheat production is estimated for the year 2016–2017 for 15 Iraqi provinces. The WF was calculated using the method of Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2011) and the CROPWAT and CLIMWAT softwares’ crop water requirement option. It was found that the WF in m3/ton was 1876 m3/ton. The 15 provinces showed variations in WFs, which can be ascribed to the difference in climate and production values. The highest wheat WF was found in Nineveh province, followed by Muthanna, Anbar, and Basra. The last three provinces produce little and have a high WF so, in these provinces, wheat can be replaced with crops that need less water and provide more economic benefit. There is an opportunity to reduce the green WF by increasing production from the 4 rain-fed provinces, which will reduce the need for production from the irrigated provinces and, therefore, reduce the use of blue water.
Highlights
Agriculture is the principal user of fresh water around the world, accounting for almost 70% [1] of water supply.With the effects of both socioeconomic development and climate change, the water crisis has turned into a problem throughout the world [2]
This study focuses on the water footprint (WF) of wheat by estimating the green and blue WF from a production Water 2019, 11, PEER
There are still opportunities to lower the green WF by increasing production from the four rain-fed provinces, which will reduce the need for production from the irrigated provinces, and reduce blue water use
Summary
Agriculture is the principal user of fresh water around the world, accounting for almost 70% [1] of water supply. With the effects of both socioeconomic development and climate change, the water crisis has turned into a problem throughout the world [2]. Even though water is a sustainable resource, access to it differs both spatially and temporally, and the gap between growing demand and restricted water resources is increasing [3]. Climate change has increased the need for water [3], and the construction of many dams on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in Turkey, Syria and Iran has caused water shortages downstream. There is a need for a reduction in consumption, good planning of water resources, and a way to determine the water requirements of the main crops [5]
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