Water Footprint Assessment of Agricultural Production in Bilecik Province

The freshwater sources are under serious pressure both in terms of quality characteristics due to pollution and in terms of quantity due to the increase in parameters such as temperature and evaporation under the influence of global warming. To ensure sustainable use of these resources, it is necessary to employ high-efficiency pressurized irrigation systems and cultivate plant species that are resilient to various stress factors and highly productive. In determining the water usage characteristics of plants, rapid atmospheric effects brought by climate change, plant water and temperature stress, soil moisture should be monitored, and water production indicators should be determined. In the water-intensive agricultural sector, monitoring the water footprint has become one of the important indicators in terms of ensuring water-food-energy sustainability, efficient use and fair sharing of water resources. This study aims to determine the water footprint of agricultural production in Bilecik province and its districts located in the transitional zone. Accordingly, values of crop and livestock production throughout the province and using a volume-based approach, the water footprint of crop production is estimated at 0.6 billion cubic meters (BCM), while the water footprint of livestock production is 0.5 BCM, resulting in a total agricultural water footprint of 1.1 BCM. In crop production, green water footprint constitutes 33%, blue water footprint 59%, and grey water footprint 8% of the total water footprint. The data obtained will form the basis for developing strategies in sustainable water and food management, aligned with climate change scenarios, to achieve sectoral supply-demand balance.