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Evaluating China's Water Security for Food Production: The Role of Rainfall and Irrigation
Author(s) -
Zhu Wenbin,
Jia Shaofeng,
Devineni Naresh,
Lv Aifeng,
Lall Upmanu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2019gl083226
Subject(s) - food security , irrigation , water security , environmental science , virtual water , water resource management , agriculture , farm water , china , deficit irrigation , water resources , water scarcity , production (economics) , irrigation statistics , agricultural productivity , water supply , agricultural engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , water conservation , irrigation management , agronomy , environmental engineering , economics , geography , ecology , geology , engineering , archaeology , biology , geotechnical engineering , macroeconomics
China's water stress and its pressure on food security is a widely recognized crisis. A framework is proposed and applied at the provincial level to evaluate China's water security for food production. It is based on a water stress index that accounts for the deficit between water supply and aggregate demand of 23 major field crops over the study period (1961–2015). The water demand is estimated based on method recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The water supply is composed of rainfall and irrigation. Consequently, the water security of both rainfed and irrigated agriculture is evaluated in our research, and the respective contribution of rainfall and irrigation is distinguished. Suggestions regarding adjustment in irrigation investment and planting area are proposed for practical application. The framework also holds great potential to investigate the impact of climate change and the virtual water flow of crops.