JOURNAL ARTICLE

Assessment of blue and green agricultural water footprint in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

  • Published In: Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management, 2025, v. 21, n. 2. P. 326 1 of 3

  • Database: Environment Complete 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Mizyed, Amjad; Mogheir, Yunes; Hamada, Mazen 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on assessing the blue and green water footprint (WF) of all agricultural crops in the Gaza Strip to evaluate the sustainability of water use in its agricultural sector, which consumes over 50% of the region's water resources. Using the CROPWAT 8.0 model and the water footprint concept developed by Hoekstra, the study found that the total blue water footprint of crops is 82.15 million m³, predominantly from horticultural trees, while the green water footprint is 33.82 million m³. The blue water scarcity index indicates severe water scarcity in the Gaza Strip, with water consumption exceeding sustainable availability by 376%, highlighting urgent needs for improved irrigation efficiency, crop pattern changes, and alternative water sources. The study also emphasizes the importance of adopting the water footprint as a more accurate indicator of real water consumption compared to direct water withdrawal, proposing strategies such as importing high-water-demand crops and animal feed to conserve local water resources.

Additional Information

  • Source:Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management. 2025/03, Vol. 21, Issue 2, p326
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Environmental Sciences
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1551-3777
  • DOI:10.1093/inteam/vjae010
  • Accession Number:183714166
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.