Water footprint of representative agricultural crops on volcanic islands: the case of the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago, where the greatest water demand comes from agriculture. Being an outermost European region that receives a large number of tourists per year, the need for greater food sovereignty becomes more important. It is vital to undertake studies on the water footprint (WF) of the main crops, in order to identify the irrigation practices of local farmers and establish recommendations for water saving through improvement of these practices. The results of this study show that the average WF for bananas in the Canary Islands is 340.80 m(3) t(-1) & PLUSMN; 34.07 and for avocadoes is 1741.94 m(3) t(-1) & PLUSMN; 286.16. The WF models proposed can explain 92 and 86% of the total variance of the WF for banana and avocado crops, respectively. The WF of both crops can be reduced, and this work can be a starting point for improvement. Farmers will face a change in temperature and water availability due to climate change; useful water saving strategies for local farmers can now be made based on estimation of the WF with yield and net needs data.

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the water footprint (WF) of banana and avocado crops in the Canary Islands and make recommendations for improving irrigation practices for greater food sovereignty. The results show that the average WF for bananas is 340.80 m³ t(-1) & PLUSMN; 34.07 and for avocados is 1741.94 m³ t(-1) & PLUSMN; 286.16. The proposed WF models can explain 92% and 86% of the total variance of the WF for banana and avocado crops, respectively. This research provides useful insights for farmers to reduce the WF and adapt to changing climate conditions.