The water footprint in food production measures the amount of water used to produce each food item. It can be measured for a single process, such as growing rice, or for a processed product, such as butter etc. 

Freshwater is crucial for global food production. Along with land and energy, the availability of water determines the efficiency of the agricultural sector in providing food. Although the amount of water available around the world today is the same as in the past, climate change has made access to water very uncertain. Water availability differs enormously between countries, regions and over time due to hydrological and natural circumstances. 

The water footprint in food production measures the amount of water used to produce each food item. It can be measured for a single process, such as growing rice or for a processed product, such as butter etc.

Regarding the use, on average, a calorie of food needs one litre of water to be produced, with relatively much more use of water for animal food than for cereals and other vegetables production (see table below). High-quality foods, for instance, which are most commonly consumed in developed countries, require 4 to 5 m3 of water/inhabitant/day. A diet with a few animal products, on the other hand, has less water demand, around 1 to 1.5 m3.

However, there are significant variations in the use of water between different food items and geographical contexts. Some meats and dairy products, for example, are produced by animals grazing in areas where growing crops is not an option and irrigation are not used (such as southern Africa, Mongolia and parts of Europe). Other animal food comes from animals fed on forage produced with the help of irrigation. So, the efficient use of restricted water resources is essential to ensure sufficient food production.

Due to the increase in the population’s caloric intake in the last decades, the industry had to adapt to meet the greater demand for food through the optimization of its processes, directly affecting the use of water (see table below). In this context, irrigation has helped to boost agricultural productivity and stabilize food production and prices and the income of rural professionals.

Currently, irrigated crops are responsible for 45% of total food production. In developed countries, irrigation consumes about 60% of the available water resources, reaching up to 90% in developing countries. In Australia, most of the water used on farms is applied to pastures and plantations. Irrigated agriculture uses about 60% of the water available for human use and irrigated crops (cotton, fruits and nuts, sugar cane and rice) represent about 30% of the value of Australian agricultural production.

Additional information

1. a) How to calculate the water footprint of any food:

Water Footprint

1. b) A video from the OECD on the issue of water for agriculture and the drivers of the growing demand for water for food production and the declining availability of water:

Water: Balancing demand