water productivity in the agricultural sector water resource efficiency workshop 16 – 17 june...
TRANSCRIPT
Water Productivity in the Agricultural Sector
Water Resource Efficiency Workshop16 – 17 June 2011, EEA, Copenhagen
Maite M. Aldaya
Consultant, UNEPAssociate, WFN
Green water
► volume of rainwater stored in the soil
Blue water
► volume of fresh surface or groundwater
Producing more goods and services using less water…
Water efficiency
The accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result with the minimal amount of water feasible (m3/product units)
Water productivity
Ratio of the volume of benefit, i.e. output, service or satisfaction to the amount of water used in the production process (product units/m3)
The water footprint concept
► The WF is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer.
► Water use is measured in terms of:- water volumes consumed (evaporated or otherwise not returned)- polluted per unit of time
► Geographically explicit
► A WF can be calculated for:- process - product - consumer- group of consumers (e.g. municipality, province, state, nation) - producer (e.g. a public organization, private enterprise)
[Hoekstra et al., 2011]
Consumption
ExportP
rodu
ctio
n
Impo
rt
Internalwater
footprint
External water
footprint
WF of national
consumpt.
Water usefor export
Virtual water import for re-
export
Virtualwaterexport
+
+
=
=
WFwithinnation
Virtualwaterimport
++
= =
Virtual water
budget
+
+ =
=
National water accounting framework
Traditionalstatistics onwater use
(withdrawals)
Distinctive aspects:
Integration of hydrological, ecological and economic aspects
Socio-political and institutional drivers pending
Participation of the stakeholders-farmers. WIN-WIN solution
In Spain the policy of ‘more crops and jobs per drop’ has to change to
‘more cash and care of nature per drop’ Is this feasible?
Water footprint of Spain
Water footprint of Spain
96%
4%Agricultural
Urban
Industrial
99%
1%
84%
9%
7%
Water footprint of Spain (46 Km3) (2004)
External WF (in other countries)
Internal WF (inside Spain)
33 Km3 (72%)
13 Km3 (28%)
Source: based on Garrido et al. (2010)
Water productivity in agriculture (Spain)
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
Cro
p w
ater
use
(M
illi
on
m3 )
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
Wat
er a
pp
aren
t p
rod
uct
ivit
y (€
/m3 )
Crop blue water useCrop green water use
Water apparent productivity
Water apparent productivity and blue and green water footprint of crop production in Spanish agriculture (2002)
Most blue water irrigation in Spain is used for low value crops:•10% of the blue water (mainly groundwater) produces 80% of the economic value of irrigated agriculture • 80% of the blue water produces low value crops
Source: Aldaya et al. (2008)
Total water use in agriculture by crop productivity range as percent of volume and value added (2001-2002)
Water productivity in agriculture (Spain)
Water footprint of Spain
• Livestock economic relevance has increased during the last decade;• Most livestock is exported (mainly pork) while grown with imported
fodder (virtual water);• Increased water dependency.
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Mil
lio
n m
3
France Brazil USA
Ukraine Argentina Portugal
Germany U.K Tunisia
Uganda Indonesia TOTAL
Crop-related virtual water imports by country of origin
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
Food (virtual water) trade drivers
Virtual water trade mitigates drought cycles (acts as a counter-cyclical effect)
Virtual water trade is mainly a consequence of agricultural (crop and livestock) policies:
boosts water and land productivity
favours specialisation and efficiency
permits more efficient use of available green water
Enables a closer connection of water uses in the basin with global water use
Decoupling economic growth from water use
Water footprint and virtual water trade per gross domestic product
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year
m3 /
cen
t €
Water footprint Virtual water exports
Total water use Virtual water imports
Net virtual water imports
Source: Garrido et al. (2010)
WF Guadiana river basin - green and blue (surface and groundwater) - related economic analysis
Spanish regulation (2008) requires including the WF analysis in the River Basin Management Plans according to the EU WFD.
Water footprint of Spain
0 50 100 150 20025 Km
PROVINCES
LOWER GUADIANAFORMER LOWER GUADIANA II OR TOP DOMAIN
UPPER GUADIANAMIDDLE GUADIANA
GREEN WATERBLUE SURFACE WATERBLUE GROUNDWATER
Source: Aldaya and Llamas (2008)
BADAJOZ
CÁCERESCUENCA
TOLEDO
SEVILLA
ALBACETE
CÓRDOBAHUELVA
CIUDAD REAL
UPPER GUADIANA
MIDDLE GUADIANA
LOWER GUADIANA
1286
93
835
905745
142
744334
21103
TOP DOMAIN
Incorporating the Water Footprint and Environmental Water Requirements into policy:
Reflections from Doñana Region (Spain)
Water footprint in Spain
(Aldaya et al., 2010)
Water footprint of Spain
Water footprint into policy
• Spain is the first country that has included a water footprint analysis into governmental policy making in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC).
In 2008 the Spanish Government approved a regulation requiring the water footprint analysis for the development of the River Basin Management Plans according to the EU WFD (BOE, 2008).
• Recently Spanish regulation about sustainable tourism mentions the water footprint (Plan FuturE 2010) (BOE, 2010)
Conclusions
1. The WF is a good method for IWRM, but needs further refinements
2. The food (virtual water) trade is usually driven by comparative advantages. The relative scarcity of water may not be a relevant driver.
3. Socio-political factors in water management might be as important as the environmental and economic ones. An equilibrium between utilitarian and intangible values is necessary.
4. Spanish situation suggests that it is time to change (in industrialized and emerging countries) from a policy of ‘more crops per drop’ to a policy of ‘more cash and care of nature per drop’
Water footprint of Spain
Conclusions
Producing more goods and services…..
….with less water
.…with less impact
Conclusions
Water efficiency and productivity - Framework to inform and support decision-making- Inform water allocation decisions
- Awareness raising - Promote product transparency- Eco-efficiency (operational and supply chain)- Benchmarking
Challenges
- Database improvement (industrial blue water consumption)- Uncertainties (data used and accounts)- Communication (volumes and impacts)- Governance (good governance structure for implementation)
- Water-pricing policies (incentives for efficient water use, role CAP)
Thanks!
OBSERVATORIO DEL AGUAWATER OBSERVATORY