Water Footprint Assessment of Beef and Dairy Cattle Production in the Regional Unit of Karditsa, Greece

Anthoula Dota, Vassilios Dotas (), Dimitrios Gourdouvelis, Lampros Hatzizisis, George Symeon, Dimitrios Galamatis and Nicolaos Theodossiou
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Anthoula Dota: Department of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vassilios Dotas: Department of Animal Production, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitrios Gourdouvelis: Department of Animal Production, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Lampros Hatzizisis: School of Agriculture, University of Ioannina, 47100 Arta, Greece
George Symeon: Research Institute of Animal Science, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, 58100 Giannitsa, Greece
Dimitrios Galamatis: School of Animal Science, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Nicolaos Theodossiou: Department of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: One of the most important factors affecting water resources is livestock development. This study focuses on estimating the water demands of beef and dairy cattle breeding, as well as the corresponding products, in the Regional Unit of Karditsa (Greece), while simultaneously assessing the pollution caused by this activity in water bodies. The impacts are measured using the water footprint (WF) approach across its three dimensions (green, blue, and gray), considering the quantity of feed and water utilized by each animal type and the production system applied in the research area. For beef production, the intensive system shows a total WF of 90,535 m 3 /ton (gray 88%, green 9%, blue 3%), while the semi-intensive system totals 82,027 m 3 /ton (gray 84%, green 12%, blue 4%). For dairy cows, the total WF reaches 2750 m 3 /year/ton of milk (gray 81%, green 14%, blue 5%). Gray WF was estimated based on pollutant loads from livestock waste using concentration thresholds for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), providing a clearer view of water quality degradation linked to livestock activities. These findings can guide regional directorates in addressing key water-related pressures from livestock production.

Keywords: water footprint; livestock water demands; beef and dairy cattle; case study application (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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