ESTIMATE OF THE WATER FOOTPRINT OF DAIRY FARMS IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL ANDEAN REGION OF ECUADOR

Abstract

The demand for water for livestock increases as population size increases, and thus it is important to reduce water consumption in this sector. This research aimed to determine the Water Footprint (WF) and its components (green, blue and gray) in dairy farms in the Andean region of Ecuador. The research was conducted in 24 cattle or dairy farms distributed across seven provinces in the Andean region. The farms were grouped into four categories based on their surface area and herd size. The required data was collected through field visits and interviews with producers. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) test (p<0.05). The results indicate that WF green from rainfall is the most consumed (5,663.85 L water cow^-1 day^-1 on average). There was no relationship between green WF and farm size, since the main source of feed in all farms is pasture. In general, smaller farms are more efficient in water use per unit of milk production, although larger farms have better capacity to manage and treat graywater.