Calculating the Water Footprint of "Sustainable" Food

While we’re all busy worrying about shrinking our carbon footprint and food miles, there’s another issue looming large in the realm of sustainable food and responsible consumption: our water footprint. While those who are environmentally conscious may be on top of finding ways to save water at home, we may not immediately think about the amount of water that is necessary to produce the food we buy at the supermarket. Maybe you’ve caught wind of the water crisis, which seems poorly advertised compared to some other issues that make the press, but if not, consider this fair warning: the earth’s natural supply is running low, and poorly managed agriculture is largely responsible for the problem.

When you look at where our fruit and vegetables are produced around the world, it’s not always in the most logical of spots. In fact much of our food is grown in an unsustainable manner in places that can’t naturally support the crop, let alone the scale of the agricultural endeavor. This tends to be particularly true in poorer or developing countries, where money from international aid, like the World Bank, is funneled in to support job creation and development…but often ending in unnatural and counter intuitive results, as pointed out by a recent article in The Guardian. Not the least of these results is the draining of water tables and aquifers in dry areas due to heavy irrigation use. For example, Peru happens to export a lot of asparagus from a very arid region that most likely wouldn’t naturally support asparagus. But big agriculture has made a dent in the local water table to ensure that all of that asparagus can be grown to meet demand in the US and UK.

Livestock production is also a major sink hole for water. Waterfootprint.com, a website not unlike online carbon footprint calculators and started by folks from UNESCO, estimates that it takes 16,000 liters of water to produce just 1 kilogram of beef, and 1,000 liters to produce 1 liter of milk. When framed like that it’s pretty easy to lose hope. Anything we consume uses way more water than we thought. So what can sustainable agriculture bring to the table? How can we ensure that sustainable food encompasses sustainable, or at least responsible water use?

I think most farmers and producers who practice sustainable agriculture methods are committed to sustainable water use, as water is an essential part of the whole agricultural system. When approaching agriculture from a holistic perspective as sustainable farmers should, water should automatically be reserved and carefully used, not wasted. But that said, no good farmer is going to let their cows go thirsty or let their rice paddies dry out for the sake of conserving water (unless they are forced to due to drought or water rights restrictions.)

But what those invested in sustainable agriculture should do in an effort to put a plug in wasted water is to produce food that is suited for its region and place. Don’t grow lettuce in the desert, for instance. Paying attention and falling in step with the local climate and environment is huge part of creating a sustainable food system, and something that we as consumers should demand from producers. Find out where your food is grown, calculate your water footprint, and start thinking about sustainable agriculture as a carefully balanced, whole system. How much water does your food use?

Original Source: www.justmeans.com/Calculating-Water-Footprint-of-Sustainable-Food/32097.html