The Water Footprint of Raw Milk Production on A Dairy Farm

Authors : Müslüme Sevba Çolak, Havva Eylem Polat, Ahmet Cengiz Yıldırım, Necati Denizhan Alptekin

Pages : 89-100

Doi:10.54975/isubuzfd.1819179

View : 83 | Download : 235

Publication Date : 2025-12-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The water footprint is defined as the total volume of water consumed in the production of a product or service, including both direct and indirect consumption. The water footprint is comprised of three distinct components: blue, green, and grey water footprints. Blue water is defined as the volume of groundwater or surface water utilised in the production of a given product. The green water footprint is defined as the volume of rainwater utilised, while the grey water footprint is the volume of polluted water sources. It is estimated that one-third of the global agricultural water footprint is attributable to animal production. In this study, the quantity of water utilised in the production of one litre of milk was determined at the Haymana Research and Application Farm, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Agriculture at Ankara University. The coarse and concentrated feed raw materials required for feeding the animals on the farm are produced on site, and the blue and green water footprints of wheat, maize (grain and silage), barley, alfalfa and sunflower have been calculated. The quantity of water utilised for cleaning purposes in the barn and auxiliary facilities (milking), the volume of water consumed by the animals, and the water footprint values corresponding to the feed requirement of an average dairy cow of 36 kg per day were calculated. The amount of water consumed for the production of 1 litre of milk per day was found to be 1112.3 litres.
Keywords : ahır, çiğ süt, hayvancılık, su ayak izi

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