What is virtual water?
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What is virtual water?
Virtual water is the water embodied in the production of food and fiber and non-food commodities, including energy. For example, it requires about 1300 tons (cubic meters) of water to produce a ton of wheat and 16000 tons (cubic meters) of water to produce a ton of beef.
What is an example of virtual water?
Virtual water is the amount of water that is embedded in food or other products needed for its production. For example, the virtual water content (in m3/ton) for potatoes is 160. Others examples – maize=900; milk=900; wheat=1350; soybean=2300; rice=3000; poultry=2800; eggs=4700; cheese=5300; pork=5900; and beef=16000.
What is virtual water used for?
People use water for direct and indirect purposes. Indirect water (also called “virtual water”) use refers to the water used to produce the goods and services others need and enjoy.
What is virtual water in agriculture?
The water consumed in the production process of an agricultural or industrial product has been called the ‘virtual water’ contained in the product (Allan, 1998). If one country exports a water- intensive product to another country, it exports water in virtual form.
Where is virtual water found?
The largest net exporters of virtual water are found in North and South America (the USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina), Southern Asia (India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Thailand) and Australia. The biggest net virtual water importers are North Africa and the Middle East, Mexico, Europe, Japan and South Korea.
What is virtual water geography?
The Virtual Water Trade: the concept of ‘virtual water’ is a relatively new one. It considers the total water used in the production of a commodity (peaches) or product (a car), and if those items are then exported abroad, they take their ‘virtual water’ component with them.
What products use virtual water?
Virtual water content of selected products
| Product | USA | World average |
|---|---|---|
| Coconuts | 2,545 | |
| Millet | 2,143 | 4,596 |
| Coffee (green) | 4,864 | 17,373 |
| Coffee (roasted) | 5,790 | 20,682 |
Why is virtual water bad?
So-called virtual water, the water embedded in internationally traded goods, has come under discussion. It must be concluded that the concept is unspecific and inconsistent, implying governance schemes which will neither improve efficiency nor sustainability in today’s trade patterns.
How can we conserve virtual water?
Broadly speaking, you can reduce your direct water footprint by:
- turning off the tap while brushing your teeth.
- using water-saving toilets.
- installing a water-saving shower head.
- taking shorter showers.
- only washing your clothes when necessary.
- fixing household leaks.
- using less water in the garden and when cleaning.
What is the difference between virtual water and water footprint?
Virtual water is the amount of embedded water in a commodity required to produce, package and ship the commodity to consumers. The water footprint illustrates the total consumption of water as measured for the individual consumer, community, nation or business.
Why is virtual water a problem?
One main drawback of the virtual water concept is that virtual water volumes do not express the social, environmental nor economic value of the water to local communities. In that case the virtual water used for export agriculture is an indicator for social, political, and environmental risks.
What is blue water used for?
The blue water use here refers to the water withdrawn for irrigation in irrigated croplands from rivers, reservoirs and aquifers.
” Virtual water is the water used in the production of goods and services we use. For example, to produce a McDonald’s Big Mac takes about 2,400 litres of water, most of which is used to grow the grain that feeds the cattle.”
What is the importance of virtual water?
Virtual water. The concept of virtual water helps us realize how much water is needed to produce different goods and services. In semi-arid and arid areas, knowing the virtual water value of a good or service can be useful towards determining how best to use the scarce water available.”.
What does virtual water mean?
Virtual water. Virtual water is all of the water consumption necessary for an agricultural or industrial production, or a service. In other words, this corresponds to the total quantity of water needed to produce something. The term ‘virtual water’ is used because the water consumed is generally not found in the finished products. By analogy,…
What is virtual water trading?
Virtual water trade (also known as trade in embedded or embodied water) refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.
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