Abstract
Amid growing water scarcity, assessing agricultural water consumption and crop water footprint has become increasingly critical. This study aims to assess the water footprint of crops within the Shu–Talas River Basin, disaggregated into green and blue components. Using meteorological data from the 2000–2024 period, reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) were calculated according to the FAO methodology. The water footprint (WFgreen, WFblue, and WFquant) was determined based on crop evapotranspiration, effective precipitation, and crop yields for maize, sugar beet, sunflower, and potato. It was found that total water consumption during the growing season ranges from 650 to 950 mm, with the blue water share exceeding 80%, reflecting the high dependence of agricultural systems on irrigation. The minimum WFquant values were observed in sugar beet, while the maximum WFquant values were recorded for sunflower. The study identifies crop yield, rather than absolute water consumption, as the key factor in water footprint formation. These findings and established patterns can be utilized to optimize cropping patterns and support sustainable agricultural water management in arid regions.