The Application of Water footprint in Agri-Product Supply Chain Management: Case Study on Corn Seed Production

摘要

Water Footprint, as a quantified indicator to evaluate environmental impact, is popular in both direct and indirect water use of a product or service as well as supply chain management optimization. Agriculture sector is the largest water resource consumer and corn seed is not only a kind of agricultural product but also means of agricultural production. Therefore, it is meaningful for assessing water consumption of agriculture sector to calculates the water footprint of corn seed production. In this study, a process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used to assess the water footprint of one brand produced corn seed in Gansu Province, China, with both volumetric and stress-weighted results reported. Water footprint values were compared among different life cycle stages and products, and possible mitigation strategies to minimize the burden on freshwater systems from consumptive water use were raised. The results demonstrated the suitability of water footprint as streamlined indicator in product supply chain management for the selected products and affirmed the importance of farming stage for water footprint reduction. Foot printing values were compared among different life cycle stages and possible mitigation strategies were put forward for water use reductions throughout the supply chain.