Savings and Losses of Scarce Virtual Water in the International Trade of Wheat, Maize, and Rice

Hanfei Wu, Ruochen Jin, Ao Liu, Shiyun Jiang and Li Chai
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Hanfei Wu: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Ruochen Jin: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Ao Liu: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Shiyun Jiang: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Li Chai: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: The international cereal trade can mitigate global water stress by saving virtual scarce water (VSW). Based on bilateral trade data, this study assessed VSW savings and losses in the international trade of three major cereals (i.e., wheat, maize, and rice) from 2008 to 2017 by incorporating the water stress index (WSI) into a virtual water assessment. We found that the trade in wheat and maize saved a significant amount of VSW, while the rice trade led to increasingly severe losses of VSW. This study identified the top trades of VSW savings and losses for each cereal. Wheat and maize were primarily exported from the countries that are relatively abundant in water resources (e.g., United States, Brazil, Argentina, Russia) to water-scarce countries (e.g., Mexico and Egypt), whereas rice was exported mainly from India and Pakistan, two of the most water-stressed countries. We suggest that policy makers consider VSW savings and losses when making cereal trading decisions to alleviate global water stress.

Keywords: international cereal trade; virtual water trade; water scarcity; water savings and losses; virtual scarce water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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