Mahecha-Pulido et al. (2026) Water footprint and crop water productivity as decision-support indicators for water resources management and sustainable agricultural planning in Arauca, Colombia

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Sustainable Water Resources Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-12
• Authors: Juan David Mahecha-Pulido, Francisco José Morales-Espitia, Andrés Felipe Góngora-Duarte, Gustavo Adolfo Arango-Acosta, Juan Manuel Trujillo‐González, Marco Aurelio Torres‐Mora
• DOI: 10.1007/s40899-026-01400-1

Research Groups

• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
• Water Footprint Network

Short Summary

This study assessed the green and blue water footprints of eight crops in Arauca, Colombia, to support water-resource-based agricultural planning at the municipal level.

Objective

• Investigate the spatial distribution of green and blue water footprints for regionally relevant crops in Arauca, Colombia.
• Integrate crop water productivity as a complementary indicator for sustainable water-use planning.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Departmental scale (Arauca, Colombia)
• Temporal Scale: 2023

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Water Footprint Network methodology
• Data sources: Crop yield data, irrigation water use estimates, satellite-derived precipitation data

Main Results

• The blue water footprint contributed more significantly (52%) than the green water footprint (48%) across evaluated crops.
• Rice, cacao, and plantain exhibited a greater contribution from blue water, while pineapple and maize were more strongly supported by green water.
• Fortul, Saravena, and Arauquita municipalities showed higher crop water productivity values.

Contributions

• This study provides the first local-scale assessment of green and blue water footprints in Arauca, Colombia, highlighting marked spatial differences in water-use patterns.
• The integration of crop water productivity as a complementary indicator supports more informed decision-making for sustainable water management and agricultural planning.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{MahechaPulido2026Water,
  author = {Mahecha-Pulido, Juan David and Morales-Espitia, Francisco José and Góngora-Duarte, Andrés Felipe and Arango-Acosta, Gustavo Adolfo and Trujillo‐González, Juan Manuel and Torres‐Mora, Marco Aurelio},
  title = {Water footprint and crop water productivity as decision-support indicators for water resources management and sustainable agricultural planning in Arauca, Colombia},
  journal = {Sustainable Water Resources Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s40899-026-01400-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-026-01400-1}
}