they describe several challenges that might limit the ability of some countries to implement virtual water strategies such as the potential risk of losing food sovereignty the lack of markets for nonfood crops and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas the authors suggest that improvements in water management practices might be more helpful than implementing virtual water trading strategies in some countries one goal of such improvement in the discourse might be considered as determining how to utilize the attractiveness and compelling nature of the virtual water and water footprint metaphors as starting points for enhancing public interest in water resource issues while not relying on virtual water discussions alone to guide public policy decisions since the mid s these metaphors have generated notable public attention and interest in one of the world s most important yet limited resources