| Summary: | This article aims to estimate the water footprint (WF) of cereals—specifically, wheat and barley—in the Kairouan plain, located in central Tunisia. To achieve this objective, two components must be determined: actual evapotranspiration (ET<sub>a</sub>) and crop yield. The study covers three growing seasons from 2010 to 2013. The ET<sub>a</sub> estimation employed the S-SEBI (simplified surface energy balance index) model, utilizing Landsat 7 and 8 optical and thermal infrared spectral bands. For yield estimation, an empirical model based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was applied. Results indicate the effectiveness of the S-SEBI model in estimating ET<sub>a</sub>, demonstrating an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.82 and an RMSE of 0.45 mm/day. Concurrently, yields mapped over the area range between 6 and 77 qx/ha. Globally, cereals’ average WF varied from 1.08 m<sup>3</sup>/kg to 1.22 m<sup>3</sup>/kg over the three study years, with the majority below 1 m<sup>3</sup>/kg. Notably in dry years, the importance of the blue WF is emphasized compared to years with average rainfall (WF<sub>b-2013</sub> = 1.04 m<sup>3</sup>/kg, WF<sub>b-2012</sub> = 0.61 m<sup>3</sup>/kg, WF<sub>b-2011</sub> = 0.41 m<sup>3</sup>/kg). Moreover, based on an in-depth agronomic analysis combining yields and WF, four classes were defined, ranging from the most water efficient to the least, revealing that over 30% of cultivated areas during the study years (approximately 40% in 2011 and 2012 and 29% in 2013) exhibited low water efficiency, characterized by low yields and high WF. A unique index, the WFI, is proposed to assess the spatial variability of green and blue water. Spatial analysis using the WFI highlighted that in 2012, 40% of cereal plots with low yields but high water consumption were irrigated (81% blue water compared to 6% in 2011).
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