virtual water trade

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the international transfer of water embedded in traded agricultural and industrial products; when a water-scarce country imports wheat instead of growing it, it effectively imports the water that would have been needed to produce that wheat domestically; the concept enables nations to optimise water use at global scale

Examples

• Virtual water trade analysis shows that the Middle East is one of the world's largest net importers of water.
• By importing food rather than growing it, Jordan uses virtual water trade to stretch its extremely limited freshwater resources.

Synonyms: embedded water trade, hidden water trade, water import