Open Access
An academic analysis with recommendations for water management and planning at the basin scale: a review of water planning in the Segura River Basin
(Elsevier, 2019) Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Custodio, Emilio; Llamas, Ramón; Fernández, María Feliciana; García, Jesús; Ródenas, Miguel Ángel; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Water resources management is particularly challenging in water-scarce basins, where low water availability is combined with a potential water demand exceeding the supply capacity of the natural system. This is the case of the Segura River Basin in south-eastern Spain. This paper aims at analysing the usefulness of incorporating new hydrological data and perspectives to improve the understanding of water availability and management and help promote more integrated water planning in the Segura Basin. In this basin, agriculture amounts to approximately 1366 hm3/year and accounts for 80% of the total blue water use. The forest and agriculture use of soil water amounts to 3065 and 1962 hm3/year, respectively. The unaccounted virtual water trade is also relevant and helps in mitigating water scarcity in the basin. The basin is a net virtual water-exporting region, with an average export of 1598 hm3/year, mainly in the form of fruits and vegetables, and imports approximately 1253 hm3/year, mainly related to feed for pig farms. Virtual water imports are four times larger than the disputed water transfer rate to the Segura Basin from other river basins. Water productivity analyses by sub-sectors are useful in understanding the economic rationale of the basin activities. Two types of agriculture coexist in the basin, namely, intensive industrial agriculture and occupational farming, which maintain the territory and landscape. From a Mediterranean country perspective, the analysis recommends considering climate fluctuations and temporal variability and trends of water availability and use, moving beyond the average values considered in river basin management plans. Groundwater reserve depletion continues to occur at a rate of 231 hm3/year, as water from wells is currently cheaper than using desalinated water in farms, and it does not cause boron-related water quality problems for irrigation. If socially costly administrative measures are not taken, groundwater reserve depletion will continue.
Open Access
Water footprint and virtual water trade: the birth and growth of a new research field in Spain
(MDPI, 2020) Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Garrido, Alberto; Llamas, Ramón; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
The growth in the number of studies applying and expanding the concepts of the water footprint and virtual water trade in Spain has generated a wealth of lessons and reflections about the scarcity, allocation, productive use, and management of water from the viewpoint of a semi-arid country. This paper reviews the evolution of this research field in Spain since its introduction in 2005 and reflects on its main contributions and issues of debate. It shows how these concepts can be useful tools for integrated water accounting and raising awareness, when used with certain precautions: (1) Supply-chain thinking, taking into account value chains and the implications of trade, generally ignored in water management, can help to address water scarcity issues and sustainable water use. (2) Green water accounting incorporates land use and soil management, which greatly influences hydrological functioning. (3) The grey water footprint indicator analyzes pollution from an ecosystem point of view and facilitates the understanding of the water quantity and quality relationship. (4) Apparent water productivity analysis, innovatively incorporated into Spanish studies, considers the economic and social aspects associated with water use. However, the decision-making context should be broader, contextualizing and complementing water information with other indicators.
Open Access
Wastewater and grey water footprint assessment of the olive oil production process in northwest Argentina
(MDPI, 2024-06-05) Vuksinic, Evelyn; Miguel, Roberto Esteban; Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Rodríguez, Corina Iris; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Argentina stands as the leading producer and exporter of olive products in the Americas, with the province of La Rioja as its main productive area. Since the 1990s, the olive grove cultivated area and related agro-industry in La Rioja have expanded. However, the resulting wastewater has generally been neglected. The water footprint (WF) provides information about the water volume consumed and polluted by a production process. Since the 1990s, agricultural and agro-industrial activities in La Rioja have experienced substantial growth. This study aims to analyze the generation, quality, and management of Oil Mill Wastewater (OMWW) using the grey WF of chloride and nitrate as an indicator and focusing on two olive mills (OM) in La Rioja. Additionally, it seeks to examine the relationship between the international trade of provincial olive oil and the estimated grey WF. For the diagnosis of OMWW generation, a description of the production process was made coupled with flow and physico-chemical characterization. The total grey WF was 8.69 and 45.5 L water/L olive oil for OM 1 and OM 2, respectively. Nitrate was identified as the critical pollutant. The grey virtual water export related to the export of olive oil was 5569 m3 for OM 1 and 28,000 m3 for OM 2. The provincial grey virtual water export related to olive oil was 161,955 m3 with major trade destinations including Spain, the United States, and Brazil. The article analyses for the first time the grey WF of olive oil industries and assess the related grey virtual water exports. This research represents a step forward in the knowledge of wastewater management in the olive oil sector and facilitates the search for solutions to minimize negative environmental impacts while promoting cleaner production.
Open Access
Water footprint and virtual water trade of maize in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
(MDPI, 2021) Arrien, María Macarena; Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Rodríguez, Corina Iris; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Agriculture is the largest fresh water consuming sector, and maize is the most produced and consumed crop worldwide. The water footprint (WF) methodology quantifies and evaluates the water volumes consumed and polluted by a given crop, as well as its impacts. In this work, we quantified for the first time the green WF (soil water from precipitation that is evapotranspired) and the green virtual water exports of maize from Buenos Aires province, Argentina, during 2016–2017, due to the relevance of this region in the world maize trade. Furthermore, at local level, we quantified the green, blue (evapotranspired irrigation), and grey (volume of water needed to assimilate a pollution load) WF of maize in a pilot basin. The green WF of maize in the province of Buenos Aires ranged between 170 and 730 m3 /ton, with the highest values in the south following a pattern of yields. The contribution of this province in terms of green virtual water to the international maize trade reached 2213 hm3 /year, allowing some water-scarce nations to ensure water and water-dependent food security and avoid further environmental impacts related to water. At the Napaleofú basin scale, the total WF of rainfed maize was 358 m3 /ton (89% green and 11% grey) and 388 m3 /ton (58% green, 25% blue, and 17% grey) for the irrigated crop, showing that there is not only a green WF behind the exported maize, but also a Nitrogen-related grey WF.

Martínez Aldaya, Maite

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