What do we see?
The graph below illustrates water consumption in the agricultural sector in Flanders. In the year 2019, a total of 66.2 million m3 was consumed. Deep groundwater was used the most in 2019, accounting for 42% of total consumption, followed by rainwater with 27%. An upward trend is visible, with a 28% increase between 2011 and 2019. Deep groundwater use, the least sustainable water source, reached 27.88 million m3 in 2019, up 25% from 2011.
In relative terms, sustainable consumption continues to hover around 39%.
What’s the aim?
In a circular economy, we want to minimise resource consumption. Water is part of a natural cycle and is in principle renewed, but if extraction exceeds the natural replenishment, we run into problems. However, variations in weather conditions make it difficult to interpret the trend purely in terms of circular economy: when there is a drought, more water is needed to continue agricultural production.
What does this indicator measure?
This indicator shows water consumption in the Flemish agricultural sector and identifies the sources of this water. The data come from the Flemish Government’s Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries. The share of sustainable consumption is calculated by adding the total amount of rainwater, 80% of surface water and 50% of shallow groundwater and then dividing that figure by the total water consumption.
