Water performance index for dairy farms in three dimensions: water quantity and quality and manure management

Código

XXVI-SBRH0039

Autores

julio cesar pascale palhares, Claudia de Mori

Tema

A - Planejamento e Gestão de Recursos Hídricos e Segurança Hídrica

Resumo

This study proposes a water performance index for dairy farms (WPI-dairy). The WPI-dairy is an indicator-based tool for monitoring the water condition at the dairy farm level in the dimensions of water quantity and quality and manure management. The WPI-dairy is composed of 35 indicators. The minimum value that the WPI-dairy should be is 0.64. Only the system in which all animals were in confinement presented an average above the minimum value (0.69). 57.4% of farms had a water consumption measurement system. Most farms (61.7%) had a water quality monitoring program at least annually. 68% of farms had an effluent treatment system. None of the production systems evaluated had a WPI-dairy average in the manure management dimension that reached the minimum value (0.71). The WPI-dairy can improve assessments of dairy water management at the farm level and support decision-making by taking into account the interactions between water quantity and quality, and manure management.