Systematization of methods to determine water consumption in agricultural food chains

Background

The development of this technical forum goes in complement with the online course of water footprint of EUROCLIMA-IICA Project, in partnership with the Flagship Project Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chains, which seeks to introduce a specific edge on the theme of water footprint as a specific methodology in the water consumption for agricultural chains.

The water footprint is one of the main methodologies and can be defined as an alternative indicator of use and water pollution, which allows understanding more comprehensively the pressure or impact on the water resource and its relation with the production of goods or services. 

With this indicator can be quantitatively, the relationship between the trade and consumption of water, against the availability and allocation of the same. Consequently it can facilitate the improvement of policies in the management of water, hydrological and hence the same sustainability planning and the resilience of human societies. 

Distribution, quality and availability is very dissimilar between countries in the region. Mainly, the efficiency in its use in agriculture is low due to constraints in the infrastructure as well as in aspects related to the management of the resource (capture, storage, development, governance, management of effluents, watershed management, and training of human resources, among others), so look for strategies aimed at making decisions so that farmers cope with climate change.

Objective

• Present the measurement as one of the methodologies available to determine water consumption in key activities within some agricultural food chains.

Participants

We will be inviting to the Focal Points of the EUROCLIMA Programme, as well as our agricultural referents and other partners of IICA, and they can then share information received between interested national and regional colleagues.