My 50 Foodtopia Facts
Water Use and Food Production/Agriculture
Source 1: The Water footprint of Food
Cite:
Water Program. "The Water Footprint of Food." GRACE Communications Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015. http://www.gracelinks.org/1361/the-water-footprint-of-food
Facts:
1) For instance, wheat requires 132 gallons of water per pound, and a pound of cheese takes about 600 gallons.
2) On average it takes about 108 gallons of water to produce one pound of corn. If that corn is then used as cattle feed, additional water is required for cleaning and processing. Factoring in feed and water, it can take around 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef.
3) California produces more food than any other U.S. state, supplying a large part of the country’s milk, beef and produce. California is also among the Nation’s driest states, and its agricultural sector puts enormous pressure on the water supplies of the entire southwest.
4) In fact, it takes almost two gallons of water just to refine one gallon of gasoline.
5) Diets that include large amounts of meat and other animal products (like cheese and eggs) require more water than diets that consist mainly of vegetables and grains.
6) Diets that are made up of highly processed foods (like candy, chips and ready-made meals) require far more water than those that consist of whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Source 2: UN Water: Water for Food
Cite:
"Water for Food." UN-Water: Water and Food. United Nations, 2012. Web. 01 May 2015. http://www.unwater.org/topics/water-and-food/en/
Facts:
1) “Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water withdrawn by the agricultural, municipal and industrial (including energy) sectors.”
2) Producing 1 kg rice, for example, requires about 3,500 L water, 1 kg beef some 15,000 L, and a cup of coffee about 140 L.
3) agricultural products move along extensive value chains and pass through many hands – farmers, transporters, store keepers, food processors, shopkeepers and consumers – as it travels from field to fork. Food can be wasted at every step along the value chain, which means that the water used to produce it is also wasted.
4) Globally, there is enough water available for our future needs, but this world picture hides large areas of absolute water scarcity which affects billions of people
5) The world population is predicted to grow from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 8.3 billion in 2030 and 9.1 billion in 2050. By 2030, food demand is predicted to increase by 60% by 2050 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Source 3:
Cite:
http://www.sustainabletable.org/267/water-quality
Facts:
1) In the 2000 National Water Quality Inventory conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agricultural activity was identified as a source of pollution for 48% of stream and river water, Fand for 41% of lake water.
2) Water pollution from industrial farms not only damages the environment and kills wildlife, but it can also sicken and kill people. And since these farms exercise little restraint when it comes to water usage, they tend to waste large quantities of water, even when neighboring communities are experiencing water shortages.
3) Industrial livestock farms store manure and other farm wastes in gigantic tanks known as “lagoons” which can hold millions of gallons of manure and urine. Unfortunately, these lagoons often leak and—during large storms—they may rupture or simply overflow… Leaking lagoons also release antibiotic residues and harmful bacteria that can leach into water supplies.
4) The most common form of water pollution in the United States is excess levels of nitrogen or phosphorous, both of which are largely caused by fertilizer runoff.
5) New York in August 2005. Three million gallons of cow manure poured into the Black River, polluting an area one-fourth the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation cited the farm for numerous environmental and permit violations, and estimated that this spill killed around 200,000 to 250,000 fish. F
6) Excess nutrients in water cause harmful plant growth—commonly referred to as “algal bloom,” which can cause fish kills.
7) Excess nutrients in bodies of water can contribute to the excessive growth of plant life, a process known as “eutrophication,” which, in turn, can make water “hypoxic,” or low in oxygen...This pollution is one of the leading causes of the so-called Gulf “Dead Zone,” an oxygen-deprived area as large as 8,000 square miles—almost the size of New Jersey—in which no fish can survive.
8) In 2000, 41% of all freshwater used by humans in the United States was used for agriculture. FPerhaps even more notable is that agriculture accounted for more than 80% of US “consumptive use” of water—that share of water which is not returned quickly to the environment.
9) Water overuse is particularly a problem on industrial farms that do not tailor their farming practices on a case by case basis. For example, a dairy that uses an automatic “flushing” system to clean out its animal houses uses an average of 150 gallons of water per cow per day
10) Not only does water overuse hurt the environment, it’s also expensive. One estimate from the USDA concludes that increasing water use efficiency on irrigated farms by just 10% could save almost $200 million per year solely due to the associated savings in fuel costs.
Source 4: Slate- 10 Percent Of California's Water goes to Almond Farming
Cite:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html
Facts:
1) California is the most productive agricultural state in the union, and agriculture uses 80 percent of California’s water.
2) California almonds use a stunning 1.1 trillion gallons of water each year, or enough for you to take a 10-minute shower each day for 86 million years (using a low-flow showerhead).
3) California as a whole diverts or pumps 43 million acre-feet of water each year to supplement its meager rainfall. In total, agriculture consumes 34 million acre-feet of that.
4) An acre-foot is just what it sounds like: the amount of water needed to cover an acre of flat ground up to a foot, or about 325,000 gallons of water.
5) In 2013, there were 940,000 acres of almonds in California, according to the USDA. Each acre of almonds uses three to four acre-feet of water each year, most of which are delivered via river diversions or groundwater.
6) Almonds alone use about 10 percent of California’s total water supply each year. That’s nuts. But almonds are also the state’s most lucrative exported agricultural product, with California producing 80 percent of the world’s supply.
7) A pound of beef takes up to 5,000 gallons. More than 30 percent of California’s agricultural water use either directly or indirectly supports growing animals for food.
8) A spokeswoman for California Citrus Mutual, Alyssa Houtby, confirmed that this year’s drought has changed the way orange growers do business. “Now more than ever we rely on groundwater. That would not be a good situation if they start telling us how much we can pump. We’re in a very dire situation. It’s definitely a critical year. It’s a turning point.”
Source 5: Water Footprint- Farm Animal Products
Cite:
http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Mekonnen-Hoekstra-2012-WaterFootprintFarmAnimalProducts.pdf
Facts:
1) When we look at global averages (Table 1), we see that the water footprint of meat increases from chicken meat (4,300 m3/ton), goat meat (5,500 m3/ton), pig meat (6,000 m3/ton) and sheep meat (10,400 m3/ton) to beef (15,400 m3/ton).
2) Beef production, for example, requires 8 times more feed (in dry matter) per kilogram of meat compared to producing pig meat, and 11 times if compared to the case of chicken meat.
3) For beef cattle in grazing systems, the global average share of concentrate feed in total feed is 2%, whereas in industrial systems it is 21%.
look at page 408 under The total water footprint of Animal Production
Source 1: The Water footprint of Food
Cite:
Water Program. "The Water Footprint of Food." GRACE Communications Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015. http://www.gracelinks.org/1361/the-water-footprint-of-food
Facts:
1) For instance, wheat requires 132 gallons of water per pound, and a pound of cheese takes about 600 gallons.
2) On average it takes about 108 gallons of water to produce one pound of corn. If that corn is then used as cattle feed, additional water is required for cleaning and processing. Factoring in feed and water, it can take around 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef.
3) California produces more food than any other U.S. state, supplying a large part of the country’s milk, beef and produce. California is also among the Nation’s driest states, and its agricultural sector puts enormous pressure on the water supplies of the entire southwest.
4) In fact, it takes almost two gallons of water just to refine one gallon of gasoline.
5) Diets that include large amounts of meat and other animal products (like cheese and eggs) require more water than diets that consist mainly of vegetables and grains.
6) Diets that are made up of highly processed foods (like candy, chips and ready-made meals) require far more water than those that consist of whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Source 2: UN Water: Water for Food
Cite:
"Water for Food." UN-Water: Water and Food. United Nations, 2012. Web. 01 May 2015. http://www.unwater.org/topics/water-and-food/en/
Facts:
1) “Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water withdrawn by the agricultural, municipal and industrial (including energy) sectors.”
2) Producing 1 kg rice, for example, requires about 3,500 L water, 1 kg beef some 15,000 L, and a cup of coffee about 140 L.
3) agricultural products move along extensive value chains and pass through many hands – farmers, transporters, store keepers, food processors, shopkeepers and consumers – as it travels from field to fork. Food can be wasted at every step along the value chain, which means that the water used to produce it is also wasted.
4) Globally, there is enough water available for our future needs, but this world picture hides large areas of absolute water scarcity which affects billions of people
5) The world population is predicted to grow from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 8.3 billion in 2030 and 9.1 billion in 2050. By 2030, food demand is predicted to increase by 60% by 2050 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Source 3:
Cite:
http://www.sustainabletable.org/267/water-quality
Facts:
1) In the 2000 National Water Quality Inventory conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agricultural activity was identified as a source of pollution for 48% of stream and river water, Fand for 41% of lake water.
2) Water pollution from industrial farms not only damages the environment and kills wildlife, but it can also sicken and kill people. And since these farms exercise little restraint when it comes to water usage, they tend to waste large quantities of water, even when neighboring communities are experiencing water shortages.
3) Industrial livestock farms store manure and other farm wastes in gigantic tanks known as “lagoons” which can hold millions of gallons of manure and urine. Unfortunately, these lagoons often leak and—during large storms—they may rupture or simply overflow… Leaking lagoons also release antibiotic residues and harmful bacteria that can leach into water supplies.
4) The most common form of water pollution in the United States is excess levels of nitrogen or phosphorous, both of which are largely caused by fertilizer runoff.
5) New York in August 2005. Three million gallons of cow manure poured into the Black River, polluting an area one-fourth the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation cited the farm for numerous environmental and permit violations, and estimated that this spill killed around 200,000 to 250,000 fish. F
6) Excess nutrients in water cause harmful plant growth—commonly referred to as “algal bloom,” which can cause fish kills.
7) Excess nutrients in bodies of water can contribute to the excessive growth of plant life, a process known as “eutrophication,” which, in turn, can make water “hypoxic,” or low in oxygen...This pollution is one of the leading causes of the so-called Gulf “Dead Zone,” an oxygen-deprived area as large as 8,000 square miles—almost the size of New Jersey—in which no fish can survive.
8) In 2000, 41% of all freshwater used by humans in the United States was used for agriculture. FPerhaps even more notable is that agriculture accounted for more than 80% of US “consumptive use” of water—that share of water which is not returned quickly to the environment.
9) Water overuse is particularly a problem on industrial farms that do not tailor their farming practices on a case by case basis. For example, a dairy that uses an automatic “flushing” system to clean out its animal houses uses an average of 150 gallons of water per cow per day
10) Not only does water overuse hurt the environment, it’s also expensive. One estimate from the USDA concludes that increasing water use efficiency on irrigated farms by just 10% could save almost $200 million per year solely due to the associated savings in fuel costs.
Source 4: Slate- 10 Percent Of California's Water goes to Almond Farming
Cite:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html
Facts:
1) California is the most productive agricultural state in the union, and agriculture uses 80 percent of California’s water.
2) California almonds use a stunning 1.1 trillion gallons of water each year, or enough for you to take a 10-minute shower each day for 86 million years (using a low-flow showerhead).
3) California as a whole diverts or pumps 43 million acre-feet of water each year to supplement its meager rainfall. In total, agriculture consumes 34 million acre-feet of that.
4) An acre-foot is just what it sounds like: the amount of water needed to cover an acre of flat ground up to a foot, or about 325,000 gallons of water.
5) In 2013, there were 940,000 acres of almonds in California, according to the USDA. Each acre of almonds uses three to four acre-feet of water each year, most of which are delivered via river diversions or groundwater.
6) Almonds alone use about 10 percent of California’s total water supply each year. That’s nuts. But almonds are also the state’s most lucrative exported agricultural product, with California producing 80 percent of the world’s supply.
7) A pound of beef takes up to 5,000 gallons. More than 30 percent of California’s agricultural water use either directly or indirectly supports growing animals for food.
8) A spokeswoman for California Citrus Mutual, Alyssa Houtby, confirmed that this year’s drought has changed the way orange growers do business. “Now more than ever we rely on groundwater. That would not be a good situation if they start telling us how much we can pump. We’re in a very dire situation. It’s definitely a critical year. It’s a turning point.”
Source 5: Water Footprint- Farm Animal Products
Cite:
http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Mekonnen-Hoekstra-2012-WaterFootprintFarmAnimalProducts.pdf
Facts:
1) When we look at global averages (Table 1), we see that the water footprint of meat increases from chicken meat (4,300 m3/ton), goat meat (5,500 m3/ton), pig meat (6,000 m3/ton) and sheep meat (10,400 m3/ton) to beef (15,400 m3/ton).
2) Beef production, for example, requires 8 times more feed (in dry matter) per kilogram of meat compared to producing pig meat, and 11 times if compared to the case of chicken meat.
3) For beef cattle in grazing systems, the global average share of concentrate feed in total feed is 2%, whereas in industrial systems it is 21%.
look at page 408 under The total water footprint of Animal Production