Does Polish Foreign Trade Save Water? A Case Study Of Poland’S Potato Trade With Selected Partners

Over the past century, global freshwater use has increased sixfold, with agriculture remaining the largest consumer, accounting for nearly 70% of total freshwater withdrawals. In the context of climate change, population growth, and rising food demand, water scarcity is becoming an increasingly important challenge also for Poland. One of the analytical frameworks used to examine the relationship between trade and water resources is the concept of virtual water and the water footprint. This study attempts to assess the value and structure of virtual water associated with potato trade between Poland and its five main import partners in 2002-2021. The following measures were applied: water footprint (WF), net virtual water trade (NVWT), global virtual water savings (GVWS), and regional virtual water savings (RVWS). The results indicate that, in the period analysed, Poland was a net importer of potatoes, which resulted in a negative NVWT balance. At the same time, considerable savings were recorded both globally (152.78 million m³) and regionally (352.7 million m³), particularly due to imports from Germany and the Netherlands. Potato imports allow Poland to reduce domestic water use, but at the same time shift environmental pressures to exporting countries. The findings suggest that virtual water trade may constitute an important component of adaptation of Polish agriculture to climate change, but it requires a balanced approach that also takes into account environmental and geopolitical risks.