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A kilo of tomatoes water footprint is a thousand times smaller than a processed food one

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Spanish regional Government of Andalusia has offered first data from a research on water footprint in greenhouses made by the University of Almería at FruitLogística.

2/6/2025

Tomatoes from Almeria, Andalusia, Spain.

A kilo of tomatoes has a water footprint that is a thousand times smaller than that of a processed food normally found in stores. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Spanish regional Government of Andalusia, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, who, within the framework of the Fruit Logística Fair in Berlin, offered the first data from the study on the water footprint in greenhouses commissioned by the Ministry to the University of Almería. These data confirm that the production of fruit and vegetables in greenhouses in Andalusia is sustainable and responsible in its use of water.

Fernández-Pacheco pointed out that “in addition to having a water footprint that is a thousand times smaller than other processed foods, it is a thousand times tastier and healthier.” This is just one of the conclusions that can be drawn from the first data of the study that the Andalusian Government has commissioned from the University of Almería to measure the water footprint of fruit and vegetables under plastic in Andalusia and which was included in the I Strategic Plan for Fruit and Vegetables in Andalusia. Horizon 2030.

“We want our greenhouses to be even more sustainable if possible and this study is another tool to support the fruit and vegetable sector to maintain the leadership that they also have in the markets in sustainability,” explained the minister, who has highlighted the excellence and model of Andalusian production: sustainable and profitable.

The I Strategic Plan for greenhouse fruit and vegetables aims to help the sector maintain its leadership position in national and international markets, identifying and putting all available instruments at its service. This first plan has a budget of 441 million euros to develop actions aimed at improving the sector.

The study has focused on the eight most significant greenhouse horticultural crops in the province of Almería, such as peppers, watermelons, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, eggplants and green beans. However, since there are many commercial varieties and crop cycles, it has been necessary to extend the scope of this study to 18 cases that group these varieties.

In addition, this study also shows that the water footprints obtained for greenhouse horticultural crops in the province of Almería are lower than those of other foods of animal, vegetable or processed origin and lower than the water footprints of the production of vegetables grown outdoors.

Starting point

Although the water footprint data announced is “very positive”, the minister, who was accompanied by the Secretary General of Agriculture, Manuel Gómez Galera, recalled that these results are not the end point, but “a starting point that will help producers to adopt the best solutions to continue advancing in efficiency and sustainability or, in other words, to reduce the water footprint and the environmental impact of irrigation”.

The importance of this academic study lies in identifying the points of improvement in the use of water in greenhouse horticulture; at the same time it serves to learn about those good practices that the sector has been implementing for some time and to extend them to the greatest number of farmers and greenhouses possible.

“In Andalusia we are committed to sustainable agriculture that is more competitive for Europe and to this end we are taking a further step towards the sustainability of crops under plastic”, said the minister.

An exceptional showcase

Fernández-Pacheco has taken advantage of his first day in Berlin to highlight “Fruit Logística as an exceptional showcase in which the entire Andalusian greenhouse agricultural sector shows its strength. A space in which Andalusia shows itself, once again, as a mirror in which other regions look up to be a prescriber of the Mediterranean diet through the healthy benefits of its fruits and vegetables.”

In this sense, he has stressed that “Andalusian fruits and vegetables are produced under the highest standards of quality and food safety and, without a doubt, sustainability and water efficiency play a fundamental role in this production.” “However, we are not satisfied and we want our product to continue being excellent and to have an increasingly sustainable production,” he stressed.

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