(Yes, you do “eat” water!)
Have you ever thought about the amount of water you eat? Or Wear?
Every crop that’s grown has a Water Footprint i.e. the amount of water it takes to grow that crop.
It’s a tricky business, trying to calculate it exactly – there are so many factors, plus the amount of water per crop varies throughout the world.
In addition, a gallon or litre of water from Scotland or Hawaii is more readily available than the same amount of water in Kenya for example. So water footprints are not an exact science.
Nonetheless they are useful for us to know – water is a precious resource and part of green living involves conserving water where possible. So it’s good to know which are the water-intensive crops.
Remember too that it’s not just the water footprint involved in growing the crop. If it’s a food item that is wasted, then all that water used to grow the crop, is also wasted.
Which are the most water-intensive crops?
Beef, rice and wheat have a very high water footprint. However, pasture-raised beef has a much lower water consumption.
Cocoa, coffee and olives are also water intensive – anyone for chocolate?
Cotton is famous for its high water requirements (not to mention it’s chemical production processes to make it into clothes). How much water do you wear?
Many vegetables require considerably less water than the crops mentioned above. California is the source of almost half of the fruit and vegetables grown in the USA – and is subject to drought. This interesting infographic from Mother Jones shows which veggies consume the most water (note: this is for veggies grown in the US using only irrigated water).
Perhaps it’s of value to look at this chart to help you to decide which vegetables you want to grow yourself?
So, how much water do YOU eat and wear?
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I think a lot about the water footprint of our food but I never really translated that into what I grow. All of my veggies are grown in pots and last summer (which was particularly hot) I noticed that I was using a lot of water. Yes, I made sure that I wasn’t watering too much and letting the water flow out of the planter to the ground beneath but still … most of my veggies were sucking up a lot of water. There were some, though, like peppers which seemed to require less. Thank you for this post … I’m definitely going to think about it when I start choosing seeds for my garden.
It’s true that veggies in pots use more water than if they’re in the ground, but it’s a lot less back-breaking having them in pots! (Also mulch help with water consumption as I’m sure you know). Well done you for looking at your veggie water consumption even though it’s amongst the lowest of everything we eat. Thanks Small!