Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China
As a major agricultural country, China’s grain production relies heavily on irrigation. Given the impacts of climate change and human activities, accurately quantifying changes in irrigation water requirements for staple grains (rice, wheat, and maize) and identifying the key drivers behind these ch...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Agricultural Water Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400619X |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832586798780383232 |
|---|---|
| author | Xiaorui Shi Wenbin Zhu |
| author_facet | Xiaorui Shi Wenbin Zhu |
| author_sort | Xiaorui Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As a major agricultural country, China’s grain production relies heavily on irrigation. Given the impacts of climate change and human activities, accurately quantifying changes in irrigation water requirements for staple grains (rice, wheat, and maize) and identifying the key drivers behind these changes are critical for effective water resource management and food security. This study integrated meteorological, hydrological, and land use data, crop growth profiles, and agricultural statistics to estimate irrigation water requirements in mainland China. The spatio-temporal variations in the total irrigation water requirement (total IWR) for staple grains were analyzed at both national and provincial scales from 1980 to 2020, and the drivers of these changes were identified. At the national scale, we found that both total IWR and planting area have significantly increased by 5.60 million m³ yr−1 and 405.32 thousand hm² yr−1, respectively. The center of gravity of total IWR has shifted towards water-scarce regions in the north, as the planting area expanded northward. At the provincial scale, total IWR and planting area were the highest in the north and lowest in the northwest, and both have been witnessed significantly increase in the north, especially in the northeast. Moreover, the variation in total IWR was primarily driven by the planting area, followed by climate change and crop planting structure. This study clarifies the dynamics of irrigation water requirement for China’s staple grains and provides valuable guidance for sustainable agricultural development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d30b40c80af4e588dcf63247b24820f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1873-2283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agricultural Water Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d30b40c80af4e588dcf63247b24820f2025-01-25T04:10:45ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-03-01308109283Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland ChinaXiaorui Shi0Wenbin Zhu1Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Ecology and Environmental Change, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaKey Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China; Correspondence to: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.As a major agricultural country, China’s grain production relies heavily on irrigation. Given the impacts of climate change and human activities, accurately quantifying changes in irrigation water requirements for staple grains (rice, wheat, and maize) and identifying the key drivers behind these changes are critical for effective water resource management and food security. This study integrated meteorological, hydrological, and land use data, crop growth profiles, and agricultural statistics to estimate irrigation water requirements in mainland China. The spatio-temporal variations in the total irrigation water requirement (total IWR) for staple grains were analyzed at both national and provincial scales from 1980 to 2020, and the drivers of these changes were identified. At the national scale, we found that both total IWR and planting area have significantly increased by 5.60 million m³ yr−1 and 405.32 thousand hm² yr−1, respectively. The center of gravity of total IWR has shifted towards water-scarce regions in the north, as the planting area expanded northward. At the provincial scale, total IWR and planting area were the highest in the north and lowest in the northwest, and both have been witnessed significantly increase in the north, especially in the northeast. Moreover, the variation in total IWR was primarily driven by the planting area, followed by climate change and crop planting structure. This study clarifies the dynamics of irrigation water requirement for China’s staple grains and provides valuable guidance for sustainable agricultural development.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400619XStaple grainsIrrigation water requirementPlanting areaSpatio-temporal patternsDriving factors |
| spellingShingle | Xiaorui Shi Wenbin Zhu Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China Agricultural Water Management Staple grains Irrigation water requirement Planting area Spatio-temporal patterns Driving factors |
| title | Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China |
| title_full | Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China |
| title_fullStr | Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China |
| title_short | Spatio-temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland China |
| title_sort | spatio temporal patterns and drivers of irrigation water requirement in mainland china |
| topic | Staple grains Irrigation water requirement Planting area Spatio-temporal patterns Driving factors |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400619X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaoruishi spatiotemporalpatternsanddriversofirrigationwaterrequirementinmainlandchina AT wenbinzhu spatiotemporalpatternsanddriversofirrigationwaterrequirementinmainlandchina |