Water Footprint for Rice Cultivation in the Brazilian Semi‐Arid: Subsidies for Better Irrigation Practices and Sustainability

The Water Footprint is a key indicator for assessing agricultural water use in semi‐arid regions. This study quantified and analyzed the Water Footprint of rice cultivation in the Terra Nova and Guaribas basins, Brazilian semi‐arid, using meteorological data from 2010 to 2019. Green and Blue components were estimated using the CROPWAT model, based on crop evapotranspiration, while the Gray component was calculated from fertilizer‐related pollutant loads according to Brazilian legislation. The methodology integrated land‐use and land‐cover analysis from remote sensing and statistical modeling (ANOVA and Pearson correlation) to evaluate the influence of climatic variables (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and evapotranspiration). Results showed significant differences between basins, with averages of 3748.37 m 3 /ton in Terra Nova and 11,701.42 m 3 /ton in Guaribas. These differences are linked to climatic variability, land use, and water availability. Relative humidity was inversely related to Blue Water consumption in Terra Nova, while temperature was the dominant factor in Guaribas. Rainwater harvesting and improved irrigation efficiency are recommended for Terra Nova, whereas drip irrigation and soil moisture conservation are suggested for Guaribas. These findings highlight the need to integrate climatic and land‐use factors to improve water management in semi‐arid regions.