31st January 2025
Sustainable use of land resource also extends to how we use finite water resources. Some crops use particularly large amounts of water – eg blueberries, strawberries – and realistically shouldn’t be grown in areas where water is a scarce resource and should be reserved for critical crops and drinking/ sanitation. In Peru blueberries are grown in areas where local crops are at risk from lack of water. Almond trees need more water than pistachios and in Spain farmers are switching from almonds to pistachios in face of the increasing prevalence of droughts.
At the same time, such water rich-crops are often vulnerable to damage – strawberries and blueberries are very susceptible to damage and often have a short shelf-life.
As consumers we can avoid buying foods that are grown with the unsustainable use of water.
Further reading – https://greentau.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ff0ba-howfairisourwaterfootprintinperu_final_fulltechnicalreportdec2024.pdf
The Green Tau 