Sustainable Water Use in Banana Export Systems: A Water Footprint Analysis of Bananas in Guayas, Ecuador

The lack of knowledge regarding the water footprint (WF) of bananas in the Guayas province of Ecuador, assessed in local terms, creates an information gap concerning the consumptive and sustainable use of water. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the WF of the cultivation and packaging process of this fruit. The Hoekstra methodology was followed, using the evaporation pan procedure for crop evapotranspiration based on a 43-year historical record (1980–2023) and the USDA method for effective precipitation, selecting nine banana farms within the zone. The grey WF was assessed following two approaches: a simple procedure assuming a 10% leaching rate of agrochemicals was followed during the rainy season, and water losses through percolation were accounted for during the dry season. Nitrogen was considered as the pollutant element, while for the grey WF assessment in packaging, active chlorine in wastewater was measured. The WF was determined to be 351.4 m3 t−1, distributed as 45.0% green WF, 49.0% blue WF, and 6.0% grey WF. The grey WF is distributed as 74.7% in the field and 25.3% in the packaging process. Consequently, a moderate impact on groundwater and surface water resources is inferred; however, the irrigation management applied in the zone contributes to reduced contamination of these sources.