There are various publications available that can be used as supporting materials in a course on water footprints.

The most comprehensive treatment of the water footprint concept and methodology is provided in the Water Footprint Assessment Manual by Hoekstra, A.Y., Chapagain, A.K., Aldaya, M.M. and Mekonnen, M.M. (2011) Earthscan, UK.

The book Globalization of Water Hoekstra, A.Y. and Chapagain, A.K. (2008) Hoekstra, A.Y. and Chapagain, A.K. (2008) Blackwell Publishing, UK is the best entrance for the broader thinking behind the water footprint concept. The book also presents a number of case studies and is a rich data source.

A concise and easily readable introduction of the water footprint concept is given in the article The water footprint: water in the supply chain by Hoekstra, A.Y., The Environmentalist, March 2010, issue 93.

We particularly recommend the following papers:

A nice introductory paper is: Hidden water in meat and dairy by Hoekstra, A.Y. (2012) Animal Frontiers, 2(2): 3-8.

As an appetizer you can start with the 2-page article The water footprint: water in the supply chain or the 3-page article Measuring your water footprint by Hoekstra, A.Y. (2008) Leading Perspectives.

The best brief introduction to the topic of national water footprints and international virtual water trade is provided by the paper The water footprint of humanity Hoekstra, A.Y. and Mekonnen, M.M. (2012) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(9): 3232−3237.

The best studies on global blue water scarcity are:

Also read our blogs on water scarcity and sustainable development.

Feel free to download these presentations for educational purposes. We do not permit commercial use.

Listen to the webinar How to take a Water Footprint Assessment and disclose to the CDP (You will need to Download The WebEx ARF player).

Feel free to download these infographics for any non-commercial use. Permitted for use by the media, providing credits are given. If you’re unsure, please contact us.

Feel free to show these videos for educational purposes. Note: AquaPath’s resources are available in multiple languages.

Feel free to download this concise introductory leaflet to the food, water and energy nexus, produced by our partner, GRACE Communications.

The University of Twente developed a computer-supported game that illustrates various phenomena that take place when farmers compete over water. In this game, participants are farmers who try to optimise their benefits in farming by irrigating their fields. They have enough fertile land; water is the limiting factor.

The game realistically illustrates various phenomena that take place when people use water in a river basin. Participants will learn about ‘the tragedy of the commons’ – about cooperation, free-rider behaviour and upstream-downstream effects. With whatever group you play, it’s always fun and a great learning experience.

The game was developed by Prof. A. Y. Hoekstra at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.

Together with the World Bank, the University of Twente has developed a role play in which each participant will have to improve the national water strategy of his country in a globalised world.

Water resources management cannot be seen separate from the national consumption pattern and trade. As water is used elsewhere for the production of commodities that are imported, consumers have a ´water footprint´ outside their national borders. The aim of the role play is to get hands-on experience with the links between national consumption of food, natural fibres and bio-energy from agriculture on the one hand and the use of water resources across the globe.

In the role play there are four countries that aim to develop. As a participant, you are member of the cabinet of one of those countries and responsible for meeting development objectives. But you also care about your global water footprint and about meeting environmental flow requirements in your country.

The role play is supported by an excel-model, four game boards (one for each country), water and commodity notes, role descriptions, country data sheets and a ppt-presentation for providing introduction and feedback. If you are interested in playing the game and getting the full set of materials, feel free to fill out, sign and return a free user license. If you are interested in playing the game and getting the full set of materials, sign and return a free user license. Contact us if you would like us to assist you in facilitating the game.

To get a better grasp on the complexity of policy development in the nexus domain, WFN’s partner, University of Twente, together with others, has designed a game with an educational character. The target audience is educated laymen with an interest in policy development in the domain of the water-land-carbon-food-energy nexus, such as the EU and national policy makers as well as MSc and BSc level students. The purpose of the game is to experience the challenges and solutions for member states – as part of a larger economic block – to achieve food and energy security within safe environmental boundaries. The game conveys the main trade-offs and synergies in the nexus using a quantitative framework of relations between the nexus elements based on environmental footprint indicators. This framework is made accessible to players by means of an interactive dashboard, which they can use to explore the effects of choices regarding the consumption and production of food and energy, on the food & energy dependency of the EU as well as carbon, land and water footprints.