Seasonal comparison of the water footprint in guinea pig production in Patacamaya in response to environmental condition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71068/yqcj0t40Keywords:
Water Footprint, Patacamaya, Hoekstra Methodology, Water Consumption, SeasonalityAbstract
The production of guinea pigs constitutes a fundamental activity for food security and family economy in the Bolivian altiplano. However, climatic variability imposes significant challenges in terms of natural resource use. The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare the water footprint in guinea pig production during the summer and winter seasons in the Patacamaya area. For the development of the study, the methodology proposed by Hoekstra et al. was applied, quantifying the components of blue, green, and gray water footprints necessary to obtain one kilogram of meat, considering the entire production cycle. The results showed that the total water footprint reached values of 2614.855 l/kg in summer and 4670.55 l/kg in winter, which represented an increase of over 78% during the cold season. This variation was primarily attributed to the higher energetic and nutritional requirements of the animals to maintain their body temperature in the face of the characteristic low temperatures of the area. It is concluded that there is a marked seasonality in water use, with this data being fundamental for designing more efficient management strategies and strengthening the resilience of productive systems against climate change scenarios.
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