Assessing site-specific water footprint on dry vine products: the case of PDO Vostizza Corinthian currants

Abstract Environmental performance of food and beverages is inextricably linked to the sustainable management of water resources. Water consumption is thoroughly analysed by calculating direct and indirect water usage through the water footprint model, particularly for products that are meant for export. Whilst the water-intensive grape growing industry has been extensively studied for wine production, the water use for grapes intended for drying has not been evaluated. PDO Vostizza Corinthian currants primarily export raisins that are derived from grape varieties in SW Greece that have a long history of economic, cultural, and social importance. Despite studies on the water consumption of grapevines for wine production, there is a gap in research for raisin vineyards. The water footprint model was utilised to comprehensively calculate the water usage in food production, considering direct and indirect consumption through blue, green, and grey components. This study specifically focussed on assessing the water footprint in 1 kg of currants produced on semi-mountainous and mountainous fields over a 3-year period with varying precipitation patterns. The study uses precision agriculture techniques with field-level data and modelling a site-specific water footprint estimation. Actual local and field data were used to calculate the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) using CROPWAT 8.0. The water footprints of five scenarios were calculated to encompass common practises and soil-climatic differences in the cultivation area. The Water Footprints (WFs) of vineyards under water stress ranged from 567 to 1,182 m 3 tn −1 for dry grapes and from 178 to 346 m 3 tn −1 for fresh grapes depending on the scenario and year of production due to fluctuations in yield and precipitation. The significant climatic adaptation of Vitis vinifera L. sp. black Corinth, var. Apyrena resulted in low WFs in consistent with its overall environmental performance.