## 4 Conclusions and Recommendations
The consumption by agricultural products of less than the available green water will cause resource wastage (if the excess water is not converted into blue water); however,if the product requires more than the available green water then blue water needs to be consumed, which is more valuable due to its capability to be reallocated to other regions. Supplementation of blue water should be to an option to maximize the possible value added of agricultural products. This can be achieved by water pricing and raising the water footprint awareness among the stakeholders, particularly farmers and national planning authorities. With the exception of grapes, crops are not cultivated in all regions due to various reasons in addition to their suitability to the climate and geography of the area. It can be concluded that the climate is an important factor, however, the type of grape plays an important role in determining the water footprints. Wine production grapes yield a higher economic value of water. Wine producing grapes can be experimented with in NT because this is the only region which does not produce grapes for wine production and has a water footprint that is 12 times higher than the average of the rest of Australia. It is also important to note that the lowest economic value of water (which is in NT, at 693 $/ML) is even higher than the maximum value of water in any other crop and any other region. A further exploration of crop practices will not only identify more efficient water usage possibilities but will provide an opportunity to shift towards more efficient crops in terms of water footprints. Water usage above the median water consumption rate can be used as an indicator to identify inefficient agricultural practices. Threshold or acceptable water footprint limits for different types of crops must be established by the government to ensure the efficient use of this valuable resource. To achieve further increases in the efficiency of the economic value of water, the concept of an open water market regulated under a focused government strategy can be trialed. Managing the virtual water trade ensures that trade patterns does not endanger the water balance of the country. The current virtual trade of water is concerning due to the export of higher volumes of water used to generate lower economic values, which is neither economically feasible nor sustainable in the longer term. Although the water security of Australia is extremely volatile and vulnerable to seasonal and annual fluctuations of freshwater availability, the imbalance of virtual water trade requires immediate attention. In the case of another severe drought, such as the previous Millennium drought, the country will not only suffer a water shortage but also face a sharp decline in revenue generation resulting from the negative economic impacts of the hazard. Further detailed analyses are required to reduce the export of a substantial quantity of virtual water considering local demands, export requirements, and production capabilities of Australian resources. A focused vulnerability analysis of the Australian economy, its goods and services trade, and virtual water trade is recommended to comprehend and envisage the impacts of any future drought in Australia. The current study explored water consumption and efficiencies in three major sectors of water consumption. Further detailed analysis of the major industrial production sectors is already underway. The first-tier industries include the construction, power generation (particularly the renewable sector), and the food processing industries to supplement the missing portion of the agricultural sector. Further investigation of the virtual water trade is being conducted to calculate the internal and external water footprint at a more precise level. This research ultimately aim to develop a comprehensive framework of water usage efficiencies for a country, and Australia in particular. Conceptualization, M.A.U.R.T., R.R.D. and N.M. Data curation, R.R.D. ; Formal analysis, M.A.U.R.T., R.R.D. and M.L.U.R.S.