Virtual water trade is being looked at by experts as a solution to the world’s water crisis. What does virtual water (VW) imply?

Virtual water refers to the volume of freshwater that is ‘‘embedded’’ in a product — i.e., the total amount of water consumed (evaporated, incorporated or made unavailable for local reuse) throughout the production chain to produce a commodity or service. It is therefore the water required to produce a good rather than its physical water content [1]. Studies commonly express this as litres per unit of product (for example, about 1,000 litres per kg of wheat) and treat virtual water as the water volume effectively traded when goods cross borders, informing water‑sensitive trade and resource policies.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.ijert.org/research/water-footprint-and-virtual-water-IJERTCONV3IS03005.pdf