Water Footprint of Crop Production in the U.S.

Water Footprint of Crop Production in the U.S.Defining water footprint and virtual water, analyzing the water footprint and virtual transfer of agricultural productions, and proposing solutions to conserve water.

Bobby Harris and Emily McCrorie

What is a water footprint?

The water footprint of the average U.S. consumer is 2,842 m^3/yr = 2,057 gal/day.The global average is only 1,002 gal/day.Calculate your own personal water footprint!

States in the U.S. import 191 billion cubic meters of water and export 196 billion cubic meters amongst themselves. Learn more about water flow patterns in the U.S.

Water is transferred all over the world through the international trade of agricultural products. By externalizing their water footprint, nations with scarce water resources are able to conserve water domestically. However, this disproportionally creates a burden for the exporting nation.Explore the water footprint of sectors all over the world.

Note that blue water is surface and ground water.

Professor Hoekstra, the inventor of the water footprint, explains the concept.

Total Water Footprint Map of U.S.

Abstract

Conclusion

References

Crop production accounts for 78% of the U.S. water footprint.The U.S. exports the most virtual water in the world.

The image to the left shows the water footprint of various crops in each state.

The image above shows the water footprint of different primary crop categories. For a comprehensive list of crops click here.

Additional Solutions:-Water footprint benchmarks (targets)-Decrease water-intensive crop production in water-stressed regions-Decrease meat, sugar, and coffee consumption-Wear artificial fibers instead of cotton-Water footprint labels

Solutions

Potential Problems

Overpumping the Ogallala Aquifer

Water shortages in California and the Southwest U.S.

Learn more about the problems.