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The concept of virtual water refers[br]to the practice of trading commodities

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which themselves contain water.

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It's not always easy to trade water[br]from one country to another.

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For one thing, the water itself

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may be difficult to transport [br]in large quantities.

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Furthermore, there may [br]be political obstacles

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when one country sells [br]its water supply to another country.

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Domestic citizens don't always like that.

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But then think about wheat.

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Wheat contains water.

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For instance, it can be that up to [br]1300 liters of water go into

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growing a kilogram of wheat.

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So, if one country is trading wheat[br]to another country,

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in essence, that country [br]is also trading water.

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In the Middle East, some countries[br]have much more water than others.

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For instance, Lebanon is a relatively[br]water rich country

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by the standards of the region.

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So ideally, Lebanon could be trading [br]more of its water resources

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to other Middle Eastern countries [br]in the form of agricultural products.

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This doesn't always happen, of course,[br]because there is not free trade in the region

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and many countries in the region [br]prefer to be self-sufficient.

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Of course, this desire for [br]self-sufficiency

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is usually backed very strongly[br]by the domestic agricultural lobbies.

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The bottom line is this.

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Sometimes, the most[br]efficient way to trade water

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is to trade it in the form of a tomato.