Abstract
First introduced by Allan (1997, 1999), the concept of “virtual water” refers to the volume of water used to produce a commodity, good or service. This term can be defined from two distinct perspectives. From the production-site standpoint, the virtual-water content of a product is the volume of freshwater used to produce a product measured at the place where it is produced (Hoekstra and Chapagain 2008). From the consumption-site standpoint, it refers to the volume of water that would have been required to produce a product where it is consumed (Hoekstra and Chapagain 2008).
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Garrido, A., Llamas, M.R., Varela-Ortega, C., Novo, P., Rodríguez-Casado, R., Aldaya, M.M. (2010). Literature Review. In: Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade in Spain. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 35. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5741-2_2
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