Follow the Drop – Food
Food
Congratulations! By choosing food as your next step, you will help feed the world by being exported from the Bow River Watershed as part of the water contained in meat or plant based food, or in beverages like pop or beer. The amount of water in food is highly variable: products like peas or grain are quite dry when they are shipped, but other products, such as meat or potatoes, contain quite a bit of water
Where next?
Because the water contained in food that is exported outside of Alberta leaves the Bow River Watershed forever, you have no choice: you must restart your journey. You may also be interested in learning about the Water-Food-Energy nexus. No matter what your decision is, you will definitely learn more interesting and important information about the water around you! Have fun on your next adventure!
Fun Fact
Water contained in food: The amount of water used in the process of growing and producing a certain food or other product is sometimes referred to as virtual water. This is because the water used by agriculture and industry in many cases transpires and is therefore considered to be lost to other users. Virtual water trade via exchange of products between provinces and countries can be calculated1
References and Further Reading
- Alberta WaterPortal. (2012b). Virtual Water Flows – Exports and Imports. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://albertawater.com/virtualwaterflows/virtual-water-flows-exports-and-imports
