308
15 Agricultural Water Management in Northern China
From a social perspective, China faces another dilemma: the role of agriculture
in social stability and security of grain production. Although the contribution of
agriculture to GDP is less than 10%, securing food for the country’s huge population
is a national priority. And water resources development, in turn, is the primary and
indispensable condition for modern agricultural growth (State Council 2011).
The challenge is particularly acute in northern China, as 65% of the country’s
farmland and the vast majority of irrigated agriculture lies to the north of the Yangtze
River, even though this area contains less than 20% of the country’s total water
resources (Carlow 2009). Irrigation development here has played a vital role in
feeding the country, supporting rural livelihoods, and building resilience to uncertain
rainfall patterns, but more food must now be produced using less water while creating
less pollution.
15.2 Agricultural Water Use and Agricultural Production
in Northern China
15.2.1 Agricultural Water Use and Production in China
According to data from the Water Resources Bulletin of China issued by the MWR
and statistical data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, agricultural water
use was 391.3 billion m
3 in 1980, equivalent to 88.2% of total water use. This figure
decreased to 381.7 billion m
3 in 1993, or 73.4% of the total water use, and had
declined to 369.3 billion m
3 by 2018, constituting 61.4% of the total water use.
During this period, the lowest agricultural water use was in 2003, 343.3 billion m
3 .
So it could be concluded that agricultural water use in China is stable (Fig. 15.1).
The total area of irrigated land in China is increasing continuously. The effective
area was 47.4 million ha in 1990, increasing to 53.8 million ha in 2000; and 68.3
million ha in 2018. Thus, the unit of agricultural water use in China decreased from
7,833 m
3 per ha in 1993 to 5,409 m
3 per ha in 2018, reducing by about one-third in
25 years.
In terms of agricultural production, in the period from 1990 to 2018 the total
grain yield in China increased from 44.62 million tons to 65.79 million tons, with an
average annual increase of 1.40%. Although there was a decrease during the middle
of the 2000s, the general trend is increasing.
In all, the decrease in water use and increase in yield and irrigated land show
that China has decoupled grain production and effective irrigation from agricultural
water-use nationally.
15 Agricultural Water Management in Northern China
From a social perspective, China faces another dilemma: the role of agriculture
in social stability and security of grain production. Although the contribution of
agriculture to GDP is less than 10%, securing food for the country’s huge population
is a national priority. And water resources development, in turn, is the primary and
indispensable condition for modern agricultural growth (State Council 2011).
The challenge is particularly acute in northern China, as 65% of the country’s
farmland and the vast majority of irrigated agriculture lies to the north of the Yangtze
River, even though this area contains less than 20% of the country’s total water
resources (Carlow 2009). Irrigation development here has played a vital role in
feeding the country, supporting rural livelihoods, and building resilience to uncertain
rainfall patterns, but more food must now be produced using less water while creating
less pollution.
15.2 Agricultural Water Use and Agricultural Production
in Northern China
15.2.1 Agricultural Water Use and Production in China
According to data from the Water Resources Bulletin of China issued by the MWR
and statistical data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, agricultural water
use was 391.3 billion m
3 in 1980, equivalent to 88.2% of total water use. This figure
decreased to 381.7 billion m
3 in 1993, or 73.4% of the total water use, and had
declined to 369.3 billion m
3 by 2018, constituting 61.4% of the total water use.
During this period, the lowest agricultural water use was in 2003, 343.3 billion m
3 .
So it could be concluded that agricultural water use in China is stable (Fig. 15.1).
The total area of irrigated land in China is increasing continuously. The effective
area was 47.4 million ha in 1990, increasing to 53.8 million ha in 2000; and 68.3
million ha in 2018. Thus, the unit of agricultural water use in China decreased from
7,833 m
3 per ha in 1993 to 5,409 m
3 per ha in 2018, reducing by about one-third in
25 years.
In terms of agricultural production, in the period from 1990 to 2018 the total
grain yield in China increased from 44.62 million tons to 65.79 million tons, with an
average annual increase of 1.40%. Although there was a decrease during the middle
of the 2000s, the general trend is increasing.
In all, the decrease in water use and increase in yield and irrigated land show
that China has decoupled grain production and effective irrigation from agricultural
water-use nationally.