ABSTRACT
Growing concerns about ecosystems' ability to meet the rising demands for agricultural products and food have motivated stakeholders to analyze and improve food system sustainability. Almost all food products consume water as part of their production process and thus, virtual water trade between countries may ideally be employed as a method of improving global water usage efficiency. For the sustainability of food systems, changes in the production line and consumption habits are essential with current agricultural land and water resources. The production of animal products accounts for around one-third of agriculture's overall global Water Footprint (WF). In the future, increased global meat consumption and the development of animal production systems will impose additional strain on global water availability. Recent studies have found that vegetables and fruits are the core components of dietary WFs, especially in healthy dietary patterns. Consumption has a lower WF and is more water-efficient than animal products. Increasing dietary shifts and growing concerns about water security highlight the need for a greater comprehension of the amount and type of water consumed in food production systems. This chapter discusses the impacts of global food production, transportation, food culture, and nutrition in terms of WF. It provides information on the quantities and forms of water used in the manufacturing of food and other necessities, showing with global examples. Furthermore, it explains sustainable optimization of resource allocation through determining the WF of food products.
