Calculation of water footprint of crop production in Turkey

Water is vital for all living things on the earth. The rapid increase in population, high per capita water consumption and increase in pollution of both surface and groundwater volume in parallel with the developing industry required to use limited clean water resources more effectively and efficiently. Water footprint (WF) is a new concept that has been introduced recently offering a more effective approach for sustainable water management studies. WF is a key indicator that measures the total amount of water needed throughout the supply chain for the production of consumed goods and services. Although traditional water content calculations consider the amount of water directly, WF of any product reveals additionally the type of employed water (blue, green, and grey), the time and location of the utilization for both direct and indirect ways. Water footprint of production on a country level is the total amount of water required for all products produced within a country. The objective of this study is to assess the water footprint of agricultural production in Turkey between 2008 and 2018. In the current study, long-term climate data, precipitation data of last 11 years average, aerial evapotranspiration estimation data and crop production statistics have been used. In this context, the WF of 97 agricultural products have been calculated at the provincial level. Consequently, according to the calculation results, Turkey's total agricultural water footprint has been found as 106.85 billion m3, total green water footprint is obtain as 47.01 billion m3 and finally blue water is estimated to be 59.84 billion m3. Highest and lowest green and total water footprints have been found to be in Konya and Yalova, respectively. The current study is expected to contribute the sustainability, management and planning of clean water resources in Turkey and to increasing efficiency especially in agricultural water allocation.