Comparing local and global water scarcity information in determining the water scarcity footprint of potato cultivation in Great Britain

Hess, Tim; Lennard, Amy; Daccache, André

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.10.075

Cited by 40 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In addition to greenhouse gas emissions associated with growing the crop, a significant proportion of the British crop is stored in cooled stores and fresh potatoes are bulky to transport resulting in higher fossil fuel use. Supplementary irrigation is used to ensure crop yield and quality (Hess et al, 2015b) and water is used for washing, dust suppression, vehicle wash-down and sanitation in the pack-house.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

Hess

Chatterton

Daccache

et al. 2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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a b s t r a c tFood production is a major contributor to a country's environmental burden. However, the burdens associated with individual foods vary significantly due to differing agricultural systems and locations, post-harvest storage, manufacturing and transport requirements. Dietary choices can therefore have a significant impact on the overall burdens associated with food consumption. Previous studies have generally considered changes in the proportion of animal-based foods in the diet or changes to a vegetarian, or a vegan diet. Using a life cycle assessment approach and data from published sources supplemented by original analysis, we estimated the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, manufacture and distribution of three popular starchy carbohydrate foods as consumed in the United Kingdom e British fresh potatoes, Italian dried pasta and Indian dried basmati rice. Although similar to pasta in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per unit carbohydrate, when considered on the basis of typical portion size, potatoes have lower greenhouse gas emissions than pasta or basmati and the blue water scarcity footprint of basmati is two orders of magnitude greater than potatoes or pasta. The increasing preference for pasta and rice and reduction in household purchases of fresh potatoes in the United Kingdom over the period 1981e2010 has resulted in an increase in blue water scarcity footprint and a transfer of burdens from the United Kingdom to Italy and India, however the increased greenhouse gas emissions associated with rice and pasta has been, more or less, compensated by a reduction in emissions associated with purchases of potatoes. This paper has shown that dietary choices within food groups (in this case starchy carbohydrates) have a significant impact on an individual's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and blue water scarcity footprint. The life cycle assessment approach is useful for understanding where the impacts of dietary choices occur and can inform the supply chain about where efforts should be targeted to reduce those impacts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

Hess

Chatterton

Daccache

et al. 2016

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…The relatively low-resolution of the studies allows for important, albeit general, conclusions regarding regional water consumption but is less useful for assessing the impact of local climate, soil, growth practices which have, as shown in the results presented above, a significant impact on the WF. Studies on the water scarcity footprint of potato cultivation practices in Britain have already shown that local difference exist within a nation and even within a drainage basin (Hess et al, 2015). Therefore, in order to better translate research results into practical management practices, higher spatial resolution studies must be pursued.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating High Resolution Water Footprint and GIS for Promoting Water Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector: A Case Study of Plantation Crops in the Jordan Valley

Shtull-Trauring

Aviani²,

Avisar

et al. 2016

Front. Plant Sci.

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Addressing the global challenges to water security requires a better understanding of humanity's use of water, especially the agricultural sector that accounts for 70% of global withdrawals. This study combined high resolution-data with a GIS system to analyze the impact of agricultural practices, crop type, and spatial factors such as drainage basins, climate, and soil type on the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural crops. The area of the study, the northern Lower Jordan Valley, covers 1121 ha in which three main plantation crops are grown: banana (cultivated in open-fields or net-houses), avocado and palm-dates. High-resolution data sources included GIS layers of the cultivated crops and a drainage pipe-system installed in the study area; meteorological data (2000–2013); and crop parameters (yield and irrigation recommendations). First, the study compared the WF of the different crops on the basis of yield and energy produced as well as a comparison to global values and local irrigation recommendations. The results showed that net-house banana has the lowest WF based on all different criteria. However, while palm-dates showed the highest WF for the yield criteria, it had the second lowest WF for energy produced, emphasizing the importance of using multiple parameters for low and high yield crop comparisons. Next, the regional WF of each drainage basin in the study area was calculated, demonstrating the strong influence of the Gray WF, an indication of the amount of freshwater required for pollution assimilation. Finally, the benefits of integrating GIS and WF were demonstrated by computing the effect of adopting net-house cultivation throughout the area of study with a result a reduction of 1.3 MCM irrigation water per year. Integrating the WF methodology and local high-resolution data using GIS can therefore promote and help quantify the benefits of adopting site-appropriate crops and agricultural practices that lower the WF by increasing yield, reducing water consumption, and minimizing negative environmental impacts.

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“…The quantity of blue water consumed in the production of FF&V depends heavily on environmental conditions in the production location which determine the total water requirement and the need for irrigation. For example, the average blue water consumption of 1 kg of fresh potatoes grown in the UK is 11 litres (Hess, Lennard, & Daccache, 2015) whereas for production of the same quantity in Egypt an average of 290 litres is required (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2011). Therefore, estimates of the specific blue water consumption (l/kg) of products grown in different countries (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2011) have been used with the trade data to estimate the blue water consumption (BWC, l/year) associated with the supply of FF&V to the UK.…”

Section: Blue Water Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The exposure of a fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain to global water-related risks

Hess

Sutcliffe

2018

Water International

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We have combined estimates of the UK's supply of fresh fruit and vegetables (1996-2015) with estimates of water requirements and water scarcity in producing countries, to identify where the supply is exposed to physical, regulatory and reputational water risks and how this has changed over time. Some 76% of the freshwater consumed in the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK is withdrawn overseas. The supply chain is particularly exposed to water risks in Spain,

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Comparing local and global water scarcity information in determining the water scarcity footprint of potato cultivation in Great Britain

Cited by 40 publications

References 30 publications

The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

The impact of changing food choices on the blue water scarcity footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the British diet: the example of potato, pasta and rice

Integrating High Resolution Water Footprint and GIS for Promoting Water Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector: A Case Study of Plantation Crops in the Jordan Valley

The exposure of a fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain to global water-related risks

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