On food, water and (bio)energy
Jippe Hoogeveen
Land and Water Division
FAO
Some figures

Daily water requirements per person:

Drinking: 2 - 3 litres

Domestic needs: 20 - 300 litres

Food: 2 000 - 3 000 litres

Water needed to produce:

1 kilo of wheat: 1 000 litres

1 kilo of meat (beef): 15 000 litres
Rules of thumb:

1 kcal of food ≈ 1 liter of water

with 2 500 litres of water we can feed one
person for one day
Water requirements of biofuels:
Crop:
fuel product:
(energy density:
Bio-diesel 35 MJ/l
Ethanol 20 MJ/l)
annual
obtainable
yield in l/ha
(indicative):
Evapotranspiration in
litre / litre fuel
(indicative)
Sugar cane
Ethanol
(from sugar)
6000
2000
Sugar beet
Ethanol
(from sugar)
7000
786
Cassava
Ethanol
(from starch)
4000
2250
Maize
Ethanol
(from starch)
3500
1357
Oil palm
Bio-diesel
5500
2364
Rapeseed / Mustard
Bio-diesel
1200
3333
Soybean
Bio-diesel
400
10000
Rules of thumb:


1 kcal of food ≈ 1 liter of water
with 2 500 litres of water we can:

feed one person for one day

drive 15 km on biofuel
Irrigation in the world today

325 million hectares
 70% of all freshwater withdrawals
 20% of cultivated land

40% of agricultural production

60% of cereal production
 About 2% for biofuel production
Water requirements of biofuels:
Crop:
fuel product:
(energy density: Biodiesel 35 MJ/l
Ethanol 20 MJ/l)
annual
obtainable
yield in l/ha
(indicative):
Evapotranspiration
in litre / litre
fuel
(indicative)
I/R
Irrigation
water
withdrawn
in litre /
litre fuel
(indicative)
Sugar cane
Ethanol
(from sugar)
6000
2000
I/R
1333
Sugar beet
Ethanol
(from sugar)
7000
786
I/R
571
Cassava
Ethanol
(from starch)
4000
2250
R
-
Maize
Ethanol
(from starch)
3500
1357
I/R
857
Oil palm
Bio-diesel
5500
2364
R
-
Rapeseed /
Mustard
Bio-diesel
1200
3333
R
-
Soybean
Bio-diesel
400
10000
R
-
Rules of thumb:


1 kcal of food ≈ 1 liter of water
with 2 500 litres of water we can:

feed one person for one day

drive 15 km on biofuel

to drive 15 km one needs to withdraw 1 500
litres (bio-ethanol under irrigation)

1 km on biofuels ≈ 100 liter of irrigation water
Impacts of biofuels:

Rainfed agriculture:

pressure on land resources

Irrigated agriculture:

pressure on water resources
Energy efficiency improvements at
the farm level:
Direct Intervention
Indirect Interventions
 Adopting and maintaining fuel
efficient engines.
 Improved water allocation and management
of water demand.
 Precise water applications.
 Precision farming for fertilizers.
 Improved surface water delivery to reduce
need for pumping.
 Adopting no-till practices.
 Reducing water losses.
 Use of high efficiency pumps.
 Less input-demanding crop varieties.
 Reducing soil erosion.
thank you