Wijk, Julia van (2021) The water footprint of organic and conventional dairy farms in the northern Netherlands. Bachelor thesis.
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Final thesis Julia van Wijk S3621901.pdf Download (517kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Freshwater is a scarce resource. A large amount of freshwater is used in agriculture. This research aims to find if there is a difference in water footprint between organic and conventional dairy farms in the north of the Netherlands. A water footprint consists of green, blue, and grey water. Green water is precipitation, blue water is water from surface or groundwater, and grey water refers to the amount of pollutant in groundwater. 98% of the water footprint of dairy farms is the water used to produce animal feed. To find the difference in water footprint between dairy farms, a water footprint was calculated for 17 farms; 9 conventional and 8 organic. To calculate the water footprint, data from the Annual Nutrient Cycle Assessment was used for each farm. No significant difference was found in the total water footprint, but it was found that conventional farms have a higher blue and grey water footprint. This is due to organic farms feeding more roughages and conventional farms feeding more concentrates. Concentrates have a higher blue and grey water footprint than roughages. Green water is more susceptible to climate change than blue water. Organic farms have a lower grey water footprint and are therefore considered to be more sustainable.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Degree programme: | Human Geography and Planning |
| Supervisor: | Mallon, G. |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jul 2021 05:55 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Jul 2021 05:55 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3514 |
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