Indicator 16. [Crop water productivity (tons of harvested product per unit irrigation water)] – to be developed

Rationale and definition:

The proposed indicator is directly related to freshwater use for irrigation. Under the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) water productivity is defined as the value added of agriculture divided by water use by agriculture. More work is needed to define this indicator.

Disaggregation:

Opportunities for disaggregation to be reviewed once the indicator has been defined.

Comments and limitations:

Another alternative is to define water productivity as the efficiency with which water is converted to harvested product, i.e. the ratio between yield and seasonal water supply, including rainfall and irrigation.1

Preliminary assessment of current data availability by Friends of the Chair:

C

Primary data source:

TBD.

Potential lead agency or agencies:

FAO.


  1. Van Ittersum, M.K. et al (2013).