The elixir of life
Fresh water is taken for granted for us Finns, but globally it is a natural resource continuously getting more scarce. Sufficiency of water is one of the world's biggest challenges over the coming decades.
Less than a hundredth of the Earth's water is directly available to people. Some 780 million people live without clean drinking water, and 2.5 billion people have no decent toilet facilities. Every sixth person does not have a reliable source of water to get 50 liters of pure water every day. In Finland this amount is daily flushed down to the toilet.
Water demand increases with population growth and economic growth. By 2030, the demand is assumed to increase by 40% from the level water resources are currently used, so it's not just a minor problem. Bearing in mind that water management is already on an unsustainable basis in many areas. The most dramatic examples are from Pakistan, China, India, Egypt, Peru, Mexico, Chile, etc. These countries export a lot of products such as cotton, rice, avocados, that require plenty of irrigation to produce. Local residents suffer from water shortages in order to produce export goods to the West.
Water is therefore a competitive advantage for Finnish agriculture. The food produced here has a small water footprint. Annually we spend only 2% of our renewable fresh water supply.
Finland's total water footprint is 1'727 cubic m of water per person per year, a bit bigger than the global average. This consists of 47% of foreign products.
Freshwater consumption is divided 70% to agriculture, 19% to industry and 11% to households.
In Finland, only 5 liters of water is consumed to produce 1 liter of milk, when worldwide the figure is 1'000 liters. Here are some other examples of how many liters of water is consumed per kilogram of product globally.
chocolate 24'000 liters per kg
beef 15'000
cotton 10'000
pork 6'000
cheese 3'200
eggs 3'300
rice 2'500
soy 2'150
mangoes 1'800
avocados 1'000
peaches 910
bananas 790
oranges 560
cucumbers 350
potatoes 290
cabbages 237
tomatoes 214
The majority of the Finnish water footprint consists of meat and dairy products (39% in total). Also coffee, tea and cocoa are surprisingly high at 13%.
Our cows continue to graze daily, as the weather has remained comparatively warm and dry for the season. For the night they are taken into their barn for safety, because the wolves are now teaching their offspring to hunt. During the day, the guarding task is carried out by our dogs the size of calf Lakshmi. They have been bred to protect animals. We have also received, from the state, some electrified predator fences, because the wolf is a protected animal in Finland.
It would be a lie if I stated that co-existence with wolves is easy, having grazing livestock. Yes they cause fear, extra work and additional costs. But also the beasts are part of the ecosystem. Positively thinking, it is quite an experience to see a wolf on your own terrace. Wild nature around, rural peace, these I would not exchange for the hazards and bustle of the city.