Abstract

LEAL-ECHEVERRI, Juan Carlos  and  TOBON, Conrado. The water footprint of coffee production in Colombia. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín [online]. 2021, vol.74, n.3, pp.9685-9697.  Epub Sep 26, 2021. ISSN 0304-2847.  https://doi.org/10.15446/rfnam.v74n3.91461.

The problem of water availability and its important role in the agricultural sector, specifically in the cultivation of coffee, which has historical, cultural, and economic importance for Colombia, requires a study of the water footprint in this country. This paper presents the results of a study of the water footprint of coffee production (cultivation and wet processing) in Colombia by the traditional and ecological wet-processing methods. To this purpose, the Water Footprint Network methodology was followed according to the Water Footprint Assessment Manual (2011). The green water footprint of coffee production in Colombia was 8,746 m3 t-1 and does not have a blue water footprint as it does not require irrigation, while the gray water footprint was 7,000 m3 t-1. When the traditional wet-processing method is used, the blue water footprint is 4 m3 t-1 and the gray water footprint is 3,200 m3 t-1, while if the ecological Becolsub® technology is used, the blue water footprint is 0.60 m3 t-1 and the gray water footprint is 1,739 m3 t-1. For the Ecomill® technology, the blue one is 0.55 m3 t-1 and had no gray water footprint because it does not generate any water discharge and the little leachate that it produces is reincorporated into the process. This implies that the Becolsub® ecological processing method reduces the water footprint by 45.7% and 99.9% with the ecological Ecomill® process (no wastewater discharge) compared to traditional wet processing technology. Compared to other countries, Vietnam has the lowest green footprint in coffee cultivation, followed by Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia. The water footprint of coffee depends on the climate and yields, consequently, the water footprint of the coffee crop varies significantly between locations and the evaluation period.

Keywords : Climate change; Coffee; Water consumption; Water contamination; Water risks; Water scarcity.

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