Water Use and Food Production/Agriculture

SOLs ARTICLES
Source 1: The Water footprint of Food
Cite:
Water Program. "The Water Footprint of Food." GRACE Communications Foundation. N.p., n.d.
Web. 01 May 2015. http://www.gracelinks.org/1361/the-water-footprint-of-food

Facts:
1) For instance, wheat requires 132 gallons of water per pound, and a pound of cheese
takes about 600 gallons.
2) On average it takes about 108 gallons of water to produce one pound of corn. If that
corn is then used as cattle feed, additional water is required for cleaning and
processing. Factoring in feed and water, it can take around 1,800 gallons of water to
produce a single pound of beef.
3) California produces more food than any other U.S. state, supplying a large part of the
countrys milk, beef and produce. California is also among the Nations driest states,
and its agricultural sector puts enormous pressure on the water supplies of the entire
southwest.
4) In fact, it takes almost two gallons of water just to refine one gallon of gasoline.
5) Diets that include large amounts of meat and other animal products (like cheese and
eggs) require more water than diets that consist mainly of vegetables and grains.
6) Diets that are made up of highly processed foods (like candy, chips and ready-made
meals) require far more water than those that consist of whole foods like fruits and
vegetables.
Source 2: UN Water: Water for Food
Cite:
"Water for Food." UN-Water: Water and Food. United Nations, 2012. Web. 01 May 2015.

http://www.unwater.org/topics/water-and-food/en/
Facts:
Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water withdrawn by the agricultural, municipal and
industrial (including energy) sectors.

Producing 1 kg rice, for example, requires about 3,500 L water, 1 kg beef some 15,000
L, and a cup of coffee about 140 L.
agricultural products move along extensive value chains and pass through many hands
farmers, transporters, store keepers, food processors, shopkeepers and consumers
as it travels from field to fork. Food can be wasted at every step along the value chain,
which means that the water used to produce it is also wasted.
Globally, there is enough water available for our future needs, but this world picture
hides large areas of absolute water scarcity which affects billions of people
The world population is predicted to grow from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 8.3 billion in 2030
and 9.1 billion in 2050. By 2030, food demand is predicted to increase by 60% by 2050
according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Source 3:
Cite:
http://www.sustainabletable.org/267/water-quality
Facts:
1) In the 2000 National Water Quality Inventory conducted by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), agricultural activity was identified as a source of
pollution for 48% of stream and river water, Fand for 41% of lake water.
2) Water pollution from industrial farms not only damages the environment and
kills wildlife, but it can also sicken and kill people. And since these farms exercise
little restraint when it comes to water usage, they tend to waste large quantities of
water, even when neighboring communities are experiencing water shortages.
Industrial livestock farms store manure and other farm wastes in gigantic tanks
known as lagoons which can hold millions of gallons of manure and urine.
Unfortunately, these lagoons often leak andduring large stormsthey may
rupture or simply overflow Leaking lagoons also release antibiotic residues and
harmful bacteria that can leach into water supplies.
The most common form of water pollution in the United States is excess levels of
nitrogen or phosphorous, both of which are largely caused by fertilizer runoff.

New York in August 2005. Three million gallons of cow manure poured into the
Black River, polluting an area one-fourth the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. FThe
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation cited the farm for
numerous environmental and permit violations, and estimated that this spill killed
around 200,000 to 250,000 fish. F
Excess nutrients in water cause harmful plant growthcommonly referred to as
algal bloom, which can cause fish kills.
Excess nutrients in bodies of water can contribute to the excessive growth of
plant life, a process known as eutrophication, which, in turn, can make water
hypoxic, or low in oxygen...This pollution is one of the leading causes of the
so-called Gulf Dead Zone, an oxygen-deprived area as large as 8,000 square
milesalmost the size of New Jerseyin which no fish can survive.
In 2000, 41% of all freshwater used by humans in the United States was used for
agriculture. FPerhaps even more notable is that agriculture accounted for more
than 80% of US consumptive use of waterthat share of water which is not
returned quickly to the environment.
Water overuse is particularly a problem on industrial farms that do not tailor their
farming practices on a case by case basis. For example, a dairy that uses an
automatic flushing system to clean out its animal houses uses an average of
150 gallons of water per cow per day
Not only does water overuse hurt the environment, its also expensive. One
estimate from the USDA concludes that increasing water use efficiency on
irrigated farms by just 10% could save almost $200 million per year solely due to
the associated savings in fuel costs.
Source 4:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_californi
a_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

Facts:
1) California is the most productive agricultural state in the union, and agriculture
uses 80 percent of Californias water.

2) California almonds use a stunning 1.1 trillion gallons of water each year, or
enough for you to take a 10-minute shower each day for 86 million years (using a
low-flow showerhead).
3) California as a whole diverts or pumps 43 million acre-feet of water each year
to supplement its meager rainfall. In total, agriculture consumes 34 million acrefeet of that.
4) An acre-foot is just what it sounds like: the amount of water needed to cover an
acre of flat ground up to a foot, or about 325,000 gallons of water.
5) In 2013, there were 940,000 acres of almonds in California, according to the
USDA. Each acre of almonds uses three to four acre-feet of water each year, most
of which are delivered via river diversions or groundwater.

6) Almonds alone use about 10 percent of Californias total water supply each
year. Thats nuts. But almonds are also the states most lucrative exported
agricultural product, with California producing 80 percent of the worlds supply.
7) A pound of beef takes up to 5,000 gallons. More than 30 percent of Californias
agricultural water use either directly or indirectly supports growing animals for
food.
8) A spokeswoman for California Citrus Mutual, Alyssa Houtby, confirmed that
this years drought has changed the way orange growers do business. Now
more than ever we rely on groundwater. That would not be a good situation if they
start telling us how much we can pump. Were in a very dire situation. Its
definitely a critical year. Its a turning point.
Source 5: http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Mekonnen-Hoekstra-2012WaterFootprintFarmAnimalProducts.pdf

Facts:
When we look at global averages (Table 1), we see that the water footprint of meat
increases from chicken meat (4,300 m3/ton), goat meat (5,500 m3/ton), pig meat
(6,000 m3/ton) and sheep meat (10,400 m3/ton) to beef (15,400 m3/ton).
Beef production, for example, requires 8
times more feed (in dry matter) per kilogram of
meat compared to producing pig meat, and 11
times if compared to the case of chicken meat.
For beef cattle in grazing systems,
the global average share of concentrate feed in total
feed is 2%, whereas in industrial systems it is 21%.
For beef cattle in grazing systems,
the global average share of concentrate feed in total
feed is 2%, whereas in industrial systems it is 21%.
look at page 408 under The total water footprint of Animal Production

Most of this production would not be possible without irrigation. In average year California
agriculture irrigates 9.6 million acres using roughly 34 million acre-feet of water of the 43
million acre-feet diverted from surface waters or pumped from groundwater.

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Johns stuff

1: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/food-waterfootprint_n_5952862.html
Tea is the winner at 108 gallons of water per gallon of brewed tea. Coffee requires
almost 10 times as much water, using 1,056 gallons of water per gallon of brewed
coffee.
Chicken at 518 gallons of water per pound. Beef requires the most water, at 1,847
gal./lb., followed by sheep at 1,248 gal./lb. and pork at 718 gal./lb. If you're going
to eat meat, go with chicken. Better yet try eggs, which take 395 gal./lb., or plant
based protein. For dairy products, cheese and butter take more than milk at 381
gal./lb. and 665 gal./lb. respectively. Milk by itself uses only 122 gallons of water
per pound.
Pasta at 222 gal./lb. But rice isn't too far away, requiring 299 gallons of water per
pound of processed rice. Bread (made from wheat) takes 193 gal./lb. and barley
consumes 237 gal./lb
Unprocessed potatoes at 34 gal./lb. It takes 290 gallons of water to produce one
pound of rolled or flaked oats. Sweet potatoes also take less water, using 46
gal./lb., while unprocessed corn requires 146 gal./lb.
Citrus, at 67 gal./lb. for oranges, 61 gal./lb. for grapefruit and 77 gal./lb. for
lemons. Plums require 261 gal./lb., apricots 154 gal./lb. and peaches 109 gal./lb.
Avocados are also higher on the list at 141 gal./lb., while apples, bananas, grapes,
and kiwis all take less than 100 gal./lb. Strawberries, pineapple, and watermelon
require less than 50 gallons of water per pound of fruit.
Raisins and dates at 292 gal./lb. and 273 gal./lb. respectively, though all three of
these take more water than most fruits. Figs require the most -- producing one
pound of figs requires 401 gallons of water.
Broccoli at a scant 34 gal./lb., along with cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
Asparagus is the water hog of the veggies, requiring 258 gallons of water per
pound.
Garlic at 71 gal./lb. Olives require 361 gal./lb.
Tomato at 26 gal./lb. Eggplant requires a still quite low 43 gal./lb. Artichokes
cucumbers, and lettuce require 98 gal./lb., 42 gal./lb. and 28 gal./lb., respectively.

Everything beats olive oil, which requires 1,729 of water per pound to produce.
That's more than all oils except castor oil. Corn oil takes 309 gal./lb., sunflower
814 gal./lb. and soybean 502 gal./lb. If you're a fan of coconut oil you're in luck, as
it is also relatively low on the scale. One pound requires 538 gallons of water.
Chocolate at 2,061 gal./lb., but this sadly still takes more water to produce than
beef. Though we doubt you'll be eating a pound of chocolate any time soon.
Cocoa powder takes 1,874 gal./lb. Vanilla beans top the charts at 15,159 gal./lb.,
though they are usually used in very small quantities.

2: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/wheres-californias-water-going

3: http://www.angelamorelli.com/water/

4: http://www.ifad.org/english/water/key.htm
70 percent freshwater for irrigation
22 percent freshwater for industry
8 percent freshwater for domestic use

by 2025, water withdrawals are predicted to increase by:

50 percent in developing countries
18 percent in developed countries
It Takes:
it takes 1000-3000 litres of water to produce one kilo of rice
it takes 13000 to 15000 litres of water to produce one kilo of grain-fed beef
5: http://www.lenntech.com/water-food-agriculture.htm
Cattle
head
4000
Sheep and goats
head
500
Cereals

cotton T-shirt

kg

1.5

500 g

4100

pair of shoes

8000