Ecological water footprints and virtual water for wheat and rice products in Khuzestan province in order to manage water resources sustainability

The imbalance between water supply and demand in the country has challenged water resource management, especially in the agricultural sector. In this regard, international trade in agricultural products and the displacement of water in them, which is called virtual water, can be one of the ways of water management. In this research, the study of water ecology and virtual water indexes in rice and wheat production in Khuzestan province have been investigated. To estimate the net blue product requirement (CWR), the amount of vegetation factor (Kc) and root depth of products are used by the FAO standard software (CROPWAT.8). An interview method and a questionnaire were used to obtain information from farmers in the area. For this purpose, 152 people were sampled by Cochran formula. The "top-down" method was used to calculate the ecological footprint of the region. In this method, the water ecological footprints of each area, including two components of internal water ecological footprint (WFi) and external water ecological footprint (WFe) were investigated. The results of the study and comparison of wheat and rice plants in different plains of Khuzestan province indicate the high potential of the province in producing wheat needed by the province and its excess export to the province. Also, the results showed that rice cultivation in Khuzestan province, except in very limited areas in Haftgel and Baghmalek parts, is not economical due to the high consumption of water. Therefore, in agricultural development plans, it is necessary to prevent the cultivation of rice.