Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TURKISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE: FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, cilt.13, sa.5, ss.1278-1284, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Population growth and the rise in the level of welfare across
the world cause an increase in the demand for water, energy and
food, while water supply in sufficient quantity and quality is gradually
decreasing in parallel. In addition, events such as droughts and floods caused
by climate change have negative impacts on
ecosystems. In line
with the increasing
water demand, it
is becoming increasingly important to
develop sustainable development of
water resources, to
provide water in
the required quantity and quality
at the desired place and time, to develop solutions for the effective
management of inter-sectoral allocation
and to control
losses and leakages.Worldwide, the distribution of groundwater and
surface water resources
by sectors varies
between continents over
the years and depending on the
development of the sectors. When the water consumption rates of domestic
(drinking and
using), industrial and agricultural sectors,
which are the
largest users of
water resources, are analysed, it is seen that agricultural use is
69%, industrial use is 19% and domestic use is 12% on a global scale. In
Turkey, approximately 75% of total water resources are used for agricultural
irrigation, while this rate is 33% in Europe. However, the
rate of agricultural water use in Southern European countries can reach
up to 75%.As is evident, the agricultural sector accounts
for the most intensive use of water resources. Agriculture has the most
important share in the sustainability of water resources due to
its high utilization rate.
For this reason,
agricultural water use
constitutes the main
point of ensuring the
sustainability of water resources and the most effective use of existing
resources. In this study, the basic elements of sustainable urban
water management are discussed and a framework for assessing the current
water use of Izmir province with a water footprint approach is presented as an example. In addition,
a flow chart has been prepared as a basis for the creation of a water footprint
map. Such
assessments will provide important
contributions in terms
of ensuring ecosystem sustainability,
increasing water efficiency in cities and reducing risks associated with water
resources, including food security, and supporting
sustainable development.
Keywords: İzmir Water footprint, Crop production, Animal production, Water use efficiency