IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v13y2023i6p1205-d1165469.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water Accounting for Food Security: Virtual Water and Water Productivity in the Case of Tunisian Olive Oil Value Chain

Author

Listed:
  • Saida Elfkih

    (Olive Institute, Route de l’Aéroport Km 1,5, Sfax 3000, Tunisia)

  • Olfa Hadiji

    (Higher Agronomic Institute Mograne, University of Cartago, Mograne-Zaghouan 1121, Tunisia)

  • Saker Ben Abdallah

    (Department of Agricultural Engineering, Polytechnique University of Cartagena, Plaza Cronista Isidro Valverde, 30202 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Olfa Boussadia

    (Olive Institute, Route de l’Aéroport Km 1,5, Sfax 3000, Tunisia)

Abstract

To achieve food security goals, water accounting seems to be one of the most powerful tools to deal with water scarcity management. Thus, indicators, such as virtual water and water productivity, can be considered complementary rather than competing indicators to assess water demand efficiency use. Water computation is, therefore, a crucial tool to understand the overall tendency of water consumption and to assist the decision makers in their decisional process about water efficiency use in different phases of production. In this perspective, this paper aims to evaluate water use throughout the value chain of the olive oil sector, which is the first strategic agro-industrial sector in Tunisia. This evaluation will be undertaken while taking into account various crucial issues concerning the main two production phases in terms of the importance of water consumption (agriculture and processing phase). In the agriculture phase, the rainfed and irrigated modes will be compared, and in the processing phase, three different processing systems will be evaluated. Thirty surveys with farmers and nine surveys with olive oil mill owners were undertaken in the arid region of Sfax: one of the most important olive oil producers in Tunisia. The results show the importance of the theoretical framework adopted in clarifying the state of water consumption in a strategic sector, such as the Tunisian olive oil sector. In addition, the different calculated indicators highlight the importance of the application of a whole technical package and a controlled and efficient use of water to improve the economic profitability and the necessity to revise the irrigated olive growing extensions’ policies under arid conditions. In addition, in the processing phase, the continuous-two phase system is emphasized as the most relevant system in terms of water efficiency use. This system is proposed to be encouraged by policy makers in future olive mill installations.

Suggested Citation

  • Saida Elfkih & Olfa Hadiji & Saker Ben Abdallah & Olfa Boussadia, 2023. "Water Accounting for Food Security: Virtual Water and Water Productivity in the Case of Tunisian Olive Oil Value Chain," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:6:p:1205-:d:1165469
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/6/1205/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/6/1205/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Susanne Scheierling & David O. Treguer & James F. Booker, 2016. "Water Productivity in Agriculture: Looking for Water in the Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency Literature," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(03), pages 1-33, September.
    2. Novo, P. & Garrido, A. & Varela-Ortega, C., 2009. "Are virtual water "flows" in Spanish grain trade consistent with relative water scarcity?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 1454-1464, March.
    3. Dominguez, Fernando, 2010. "Water scarcity: Can virtual water operators help?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 129-134, September.
    4. Sébastien Treyer, 2001. "La planification stratégique à long terme de l'eau en Tunisie," Revue Tiers Monde, Programme National Persée, vol. 42(166), pages 455-474.
    5. Grattan, S.R. & Berenguer, M.J. & Connell, J.H. & Polito, V.S. & Vossen, P.M., 2006. "Olive oil production as influenced by different quantities of applied water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(1-2), pages 133-140, September.
    6. Shuyi Wang & Daizhong Su, 2022. "Sustainable Product Innovation and Consumer Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Trabelsi, Lina & Gargouri, Kamel & Ben Hassena, Ameni & Mbadra, Chaker & Ghrab, Mohamed & Ncube, Bhekumthetho & Van Staden, Johannes & Gargouri, Radhia, 2019. "Impact of drought and salinity on olive water status and physiological performance in an arid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 749-759.
    8. Ghrab, Mohamed & Gargouri, Kamel & Bentaher, Hatem & Chartzoulakis, Kostas & Ayadi, Mohamed & Ben Mimoun, Mehdi & Masmoudi, Mohamed Moncef & Ben Mechlia, Netij & Psarras, Georgios, 2013. "Water relations and yield of olive tree (cv. Chemlali) in response to partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation technique and salinity under arid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-11.
    9. Asma Souissi & Nadhem Mtimet & Laura McCann & Ali Chebil & Chokri Thabet, 2022. "Determinants of Food Consumption Water Footprint in the MENA Region: The Case of Tunisia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-14, January.
    10. Zhang, Chao & Anadon, Laura Diaz, 2014. "A multi-regional input–output analysis of domestic virtual water trade and provincial water footprint in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 159-172.
    11. S Elfkih & M L Feijoo & C Romero, 2009. "Agricultural sustainable management: a normative approach based on goal programming," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(4), pages 534-543, April.
    12. Chebil, Ali & Soula, Rania & Souissi, Asma & Bennouna, Bechir, 2022. "Efficiency, valuation, and pricing of irrigation water in northeastern Tunisia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    13. van Halsema, Gerardo E. & Vincent, Linden, 2012. "Efficiency and productivity terms for water management: A matter of contextual relativism versus general absolutism," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 9-15.
    14. Wichelns, Dennis, 2001. "The role of `virtual water' in efforts to achieve food security and other national goals, with an example from Egypt," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 131-151, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trabelsi, Lina & Gargouri, Kamel & Ayadi, Mohamed & Mbadra, Chaker & Ben Nasr, Mohamed & Ben Mbarek, Hadda & Ghrab, Mohamed & Ben Ahmed, Gouta & Kammoun, Yasmine & Loukil, Emna & Maktouf, Sameh & Khli, 2022. "Impact of drought and salinity on olive potential yield, oil and fruit qualities (cv. Chemlali) in an arid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    2. Marta Antonelli & Martina Sartori, 2014. "Unfolding the Potential of the Virtual Water Concept. What is still under debate?," IEFE Working Papers 74, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    3. Dennis Wichelns, 2010. "Virtual Water: A Helpful Perspective, but not a Sufficient Policy Criterion," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(10), pages 2203-2219, August.
    4. Roberto Roson & Martina Sartori, 2013. "Trade-offs in water policy: System-wide implications of changing water availability and agricultural productivity in the Mediterranean economies by 2050," Working Papers 2013:21, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    5. Giordano, Meredith & Turral, H. & Scheierling, S. M. & Treguer, D. O. & McCornick, Peter G, 2017. "Beyond “More Crop per Drop”: evolving thinking on agricultural water productivity," IWMI Research Reports 257962, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Hachaichi, Mohamed, 2023. "Unpacking the urban virtual water of the Global South: Lessons from 181 cities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    7. Esther Velázquez & Cristina Madrid & María Beltrán, 2011. "Rethinking the Concepts of Virtual Water and Water Footprint in Relation to the Production–Consumption Binomial and the Water–Energy Nexus," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(2), pages 743-761, January.
    8. Huang, Feng & Li, Baoguo, 2010. "Assessing grain crop water productivity of China using a hydro-model-coupled-statistics approach: Part I: Method development and validation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(7), pages 1077-1092, July.
    9. Yuanhong Tian & Matthias Ruth & Dajian Zhu & Jinfeng Ding & Nicholas Morris, 2019. "A Sustainability Assessment of Five Major Food Crops’ Water Footprints in China from 1978 to 2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-20, November.
    10. A. Hassan & M. Y. Saari & T. H. Tengku Ismail, 2017. "Virtual water trade in industrial products: evidence from Malaysia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 877-894, June.
    11. Ehsan Qasemipour & Farhad Tarahomi & Markus Pahlow & Seyed Saeed Malek Sadati & Ali Abbasi, 2020. "Assessment of Virtual Water Flows in Iran Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    12. Guangyao Deng & Liujuan Wang & Yanan Song, 2015. "Effect of Variation of Water-Use Efficiency on Structure of Virtual Water Trade - Analysis Based on Input–Output Model," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(8), pages 2947-2965, June.
    13. Arbizu-Milagro, Julia & Castillo-Ruiz, Francisco J. & Tascón, Alberto & Peña, Jose M., 2023. "Effects of regulated, precision and continuous deficit irrigation on the growth and productivity of a young super high-density olive orchard," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    14. Bielsa, Jorge & Cazcarro, Ignacio & Sancho, Yolanda, 2011. "Integration of hydrological and economic approaches to water and land management in Mediterranean climates: an initial case study in agriculture," MPRA Paper 36445, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Hallberg-Sramek, Isabella & Nordström, Eva-Maria & Priebe, Janina & Reimerson, Elsa & Mårald, Erland & Nordin, Annika, 2023. "Combining scientific and local knowledge improves evaluating future scenarios of forest ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    16. Kucukvar, Murat & Haider, Muhammad Ali & Onat, Nuri Cihat, 2017. "Exploring the material footprints of national electricity production scenarios until 2050: The case for Turkey and UK," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 251-263.
    17. Yang, Honghua & Ma, Linwei & Li, Zheng, 2023. "Tracing China's steel use from steel flows in the production system to steel footprints in the consumption system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    18. Ehsan Qasemipour & Ali Abbasi & Farhad Tarahomi, 2020. "Water-Saving Scenarios Based on Input–Output Analysis and Virtual Water Concept: A Case in Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, January.
    19. Zhang, Yan & Zheng, Hongmei & Yang, Zhifeng & Su, Meirong & Liu, Gengyuan & Li, Yanxian, 2015. "Multi-regional input–output model and ecological network analysis for regional embodied energy accounting in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 651-663.
    20. Agüero Alcaras, L. Martín & Rousseaux, M. Cecilia & Searles, Peter S., 2021. "Yield and water productivity responses of olive trees (cv. Manzanilla) to post-harvest deficit irrigation in a non-Mediterranean climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:6:p:1205-:d:1165469. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.