National savings in freshwater consumption in Iran by virtual water imports (a case study on cereals)

Abstract

Improper use of water resources for agricultural production has led to a global decline in freshwater resources because more than 80% of the world's freshwater resources are used for agricultural purposes. Most countries can compensate for the water restrictions for food production by importing virtual water through international trade of agricultural commodities by which virtual water is transferred from the production regions to the consumption regions. The present research aimed to investigate the possibility of national savings in freshwater consumption in Iran by importing virtual water of agricultural products (cereals) over the period of 2001–2018. The results show that importing cereals has contributed to national savings on freshwater consumption in Iran, amounting to 21 167 million m3 per year. The total saving is estimated at 381 011 million m3 out of which 53.18% is green water, 34.09% is blue water, and 12.73% is grey water.

Mineral contents and antioxidant activities of Karakılçık durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn.) genotypes

“…The Anatolian geography, also known as the "granary", has significant potential as a genetic resource, with 23 wild and more than 400 cultivated wheat varieties (WWF, 2016). Cereal crops such as barley, rice, maize, and wheat are the most widely produced and consumed cereals in the world (Khodaei et al, 2021;Hekmatnia et al, 2022). However, with the increasing world population, meeting people's needs for proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients in their daily diets has accelerated studies such as research on 2 functional foods to enhance the quality of nutrient content in recent years (Corbo et al, 2014;Macdiarmid et al, 2018).…”