Virtual water in agricultural production

Abstract

Virtual water refers both to water consumed during the process of production and water remaining as the
constituent of the product. Apart from its quantity, easily calculated, it can also be determined in qualitative terms, through the water footprint, which describes the amount of water used by any biological entity. It can be presented as three-portion system, comprised of blue, green and gray water. The attempts to solve agricultural problems in the countries suffering from water shortage, the importance of green water has been
emphasized, pointing to adequate water management. Virtual water concept enabled understanding of the
international water trading ways, as it remains within the products traded. Adjusting export oriented food
production any country can save significant amounts of domestic water, thus implementing its water
sustainability that is important for all the countries. Since large quantities of good quality water for
agricultural irrigation are the utmost requirement, it is often a limiting factor, implying that new methodology
of water-food transformation should be developed.