Virtual water trade and the contestation of hydrosocial territories

Growing trade in virtual water -- the water used to produce exported products from agriculture and mining sectors -- affects local communities and the environment, and transforms hydrosocial territories. National and international water regulations reshape communities’ hydrosocial territories by changing water governance structures to favour export commodity sectors, often inducing strong contestation from local communities. Transnational companies formulate and enforce global water governance arrangements oriented toward strengthening export production chains, often through asymmetrical relationships with local groups in water-export regions. These arrangements compromise political representation and water security for both local communities and companies.