La huella hídrica agrícola en los Valles de Etla, Zimatlán y Tlacolula, Oaxaca

Abstract

Abstract. Food production and guaranteeing food supply pose a great challenge linked to water availability: more food can only be provided if there is enough water at the right time and place, with enough quality and in enough quantity. This pressure is aggravated in the presence of adverse hydrological conditions and when crops with high water requirements must be watered to supply the demand not satisfied by rain. Such scenario is common in the Central Valleys surrounding the city of Oaxaca. Here, the challenge is that of reducing water consumption, at the same time preserving agricultural landscape while producing more food. It can be overcome through the application of several measures but, in order to support their implementation, indicators are needed first to quantify how much pressure does agricultural activity exert on water supply. To this end, the present paper shows the evaluation of pressure by agriculture on this resource in the Central Valleys of Etla, Zimatlán and Tlacolula, employing the concept of agricultural water footprint.