Assessing the water footprint of tea: Implications on Türkiye's freshwater ecosystems

The relationships between freshwater systems and agriculture are complex, and they intersect in many ways. Human interference with nitrogen and phosphorus cycles has become so intense that may be the effect of nutrient enrichment in freshwaters. Thus, this study aims to assess current (2022) and future (2032) water footprint (WF) of tea production in Türkiye which is one of the major agricultural practices in the country and its effects on freshwater sources. The Water Footprint Network (WFN) suggested methodology for water footprinting was followed during the study. Results showed that rainwater (green water footprint) is the primary water source to grow the tea plant. The green water footprint (WFgreen =877 m3/ton) was followed by blue (WFblue=142 m3/ton) and grey water footprint (WFgrey=75 m3/ton). This clarifies that there is no risk of producing tea in Türkiye in the near future due to the high green water footprint compared to blue and grey. Furthermore, freshwater systems have a low risk of nutrient pollution, as indicated by WFgrey. A further study with high-quality data including the amount and type of fertilizer used is therefore suggested.