Abstract

RAMIREZ, Luisa F.; BECERRA, Dorance  and  MORA, Carlos H.. Green and blue water footprint of organic sugarcane production in the central area of Cauca Valley. Ing. compet. [online]. 2022, vol.24, n.2, e20311264.  Epub May 26, 2022. ISSN 0123-3033.  https://doi.org/10.25100/iyc.v24i2.11264.

The estimation of the green and blue water footprint in the production of organic sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) was obtained for a planting area of 621.5 hectares in the Amaime river basin in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The study represents the first approximation in the quantification of the theoretical amount of water required by growers to produce sugarcane under organic planting conditions, based on the methodological guidelines proposed in the Water Footprint Evaluation Manual of the authors Arjen and Hoekstra et al, (2011), and the computer program CROPWAT 8.0 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The results for the green water footprint yielded an indicator of 117.07 m3/t, and 37.44 m3/t for the blue water footprint, for a total water footprint of 154.51 m3/t. The obtained data were analyzed comparatively with results from the literature about the traditional cultivation of sugarcane in Colombia, and international references for the same crop, so that the cultivation of organic sugarcane could present competitive advantages in environmental terms, associated with the use of water resources and context conditions. Moreover, it is necessary to deepen the analysis of the gray water footprint and analyses that involve cultural, social, scientific, economic, biophysical, and political aspects that lead to the integrality of the indicator.

Keywords : Water Footprint; Green Water; Blue Water; Gray Water; Water Resource Management; Organic Cane; Environmental Sustainability.

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