Water productivity and water footprint: misguided concepts or useful tools in water management and policy?

Water productivity (WP) and water footprint (WFP) are popular concepts in research and discourses on water management. Yet there are concerns about their theoretical validity and practical value. This paper shows that the water production function, the concept with a sound theoretical foundation, is...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water international 2014-11, Vol.39 (7), p.1000-1017
Main Authors: Amarasinghe, Upali A., Smakhtin, Vladimir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
consumptive water use
Decisions
deficit irrigation
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Economics
Exact sciences and technology
Footprints
Foundations
Hydrology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Policies
Production
production function
Productivity
Sound
Water
water footprint
Water management
water productivity
Water resources
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Water productivity (WP) and water footprint (WFP) are popular concepts in research and discourses on water management. Yet there are concerns about their theoretical validity and practical value. This paper shows that the water production function, the concept with a sound theoretical foundation, is the basis for WP. Total WFP is the reciprocal of WP. The practical value of WP and WFP depends on the context of water use and stress. Maximizing WP, not a panacea to all water problems, mainly suits arid rainfed areas. In other regions, economic and marginal WP for increasing overall production should take precedence in water management and policy decisions.
ISSN:0250-8060
1941-1707
DOI:10.1080/02508060.2015.986631