1. Engaging with Science Interpreting Data
Water Footprint
Engaging with Science
Interpreting Data

2. What is a Water Footprint?
People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing but even more is used for growing our food and for making our clothing, cars or computers.
The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. It can be measured for a single process, such as growing rice, for a product, such as a pair of jeans, for the fuel we put in our car, or for an entire multi-national company. The water footprint can also tell us how much water is being consumed by a particular country – or globally – in a specific river basin or from an aquifer.

3. What use is this knowledge?
The water footprint helps us understand for what purposes our limited freshwater resources are being consumed and polluted. The impact it has depends on where the water is taken from and when. If it comes from a place where water is already scarce, the consequences can be significant and require action.

4. Watch the following ~7 minute video called ‘Where is Water
Watch the following ~7 minute video called ‘Where is Water?- The Water Rooms #2
The link is below

5. Find out how much water is needed to produce a range of products?
Click on the link below and scroll through the food products to find out about their water footprint.
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6. Look at the table on the right and answer the following questions
Food
Litres of water used per kg of food
Sugar crops
197
Vegetables
322
Starchy root vegetables
387
Fruits
962
Cereals
1644
Oil crops
2364
Pulses (lentils etc)
4055
Nuts
9063
Milk
1020
Eggs
3265
Chicken
4325
Butter
5553
Pork
5988
Lamb/goat meat
8763
Beef
15415
How much water is needed to produce 1 kg of:
Fruit
Eggs
Pork
2. What food requires 387 L of water per kg
3. What food requires 4055 L of water per kg
4. Which food requires the least amount of water to produce it?
5. Which food requires the most water to produce it?
6. a) Which requires more water to produce, milk or butter?
b)Give a reason for your answer
7. What meat requires the least amount of water to produce it?
8. Which type of product uses more water to produce, animal products or crop products?

7. Personal Water Footprint
Click on the link to use the Personal Water Footprint calculator to find out your own estimated annual waterfoot print
water-footprint-calculator/