In 1993, Tony Allan, a British professor, first put forward “virtual water” when studying the water issues in Middle East. The virtual water  refers to the water resources required to produce goods and services. It is the first time to reveal the impact of consumption and trade behaviors on regional water and food security. “Virtual water” is an innovative perception of water resources. In 2002, Dutch scholar A.Y. Hoekstra introduced the concept of “water footprint” to measure both direct and indirect appropriation of water resources by human beings. The water footprint links our production and consumption activities with the utilization and pollution of water resources, making us realize that the overall consumption and pollution of water resources are ultimately determined by both production and consumption.

        The theory of virtual water and water footprint have played crucial roles in broadening our understanding of water resources, and have possessed unique explanatory power for considering the principle of sustainable water resources utilization. They promote the innovation of concept and system in the field of water resources management, and provide new choices for the efficient management and strategic storage of regional water resources.

        This is the first course on virtual water and water footprint in China. Through 9 chapters and 40 knowledge points, the three lecturers will elaborate the basic concepts and evaluation methods of virtual water and water footprint comprehensively and systematically from three aspects of concept, application and prospect. This course will be helpful for students to establish a more integral theoretical and methodological framework of virtual water and water footprint, and form a scientific concept.