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| DOI：10.13522/j.cnki.ggps.2019345 |
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| Water Footprints of Main Crops and Their Change in Ningxia |
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GAO Haiyan, LI Wangcheng, LI Chen, DONG Yaping, HAO Lu, MA Ji’an, LIU Zixi, LI Yukun
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1.Department of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;2. Ningxia Water-saving Irrigation and Water Resources Regulation and Control Engineering Technology Research Center,Yinchuan 750021, China; 3. Research Center of Modern Efficient Utilization of AgriculturalWater Resources in Arid Area, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan 750021, China
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| Abstract: |
| 【Background】There has been intensive study on how to alleviate pressure on water resources and improve water use efficiency amid the increased dwindling water resources. Agricultural usage accounts for a largest proportion of water consumption in many countries. China is a large agricultural country with extremely scarce water resources. Available data showed that agricultural production consumed 60% of total water it uses and water shortage is the limited factor of agricultural production in the recent years. Improving agricultural water use efficiency has thus become a critical issue in developing sustainable economy in China. Water footprint is an active area in water resources management and has made great progress in both theory and application over the past two decades since its inception.【Objective】The primary purpose of this paper is to apply the water footprint to Ningxia, an arid region located in northwestern China, with most of its limited water resource used by agriculture. Current water resources research in Ningxia focused on evaluation and analysis of the overall water footprint and in recent years, there has been an increase in study on water footprints of crops and their spatiotemporal variation. 【Method】Meteorological and agricultural data measured from 2008 to 2017 were used to quantify the water footprint of main crops in Ningxia, and we combined the meteorological factors and crop yields to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of the water footprints.【Result】①The water footprint of each crop in Ningxia had been in decline over the ten-year period. The average water footprint of soybean was the highest at 4.51 m3/kg, while the average water footprint of wheat was the lowest at 0.91 m3/kg. ②The highest proportion of blue-green water footprint of crop was of rice at 5:1, and the lowest was soybean at 1.4:1. ③During the ten-year period, the water footprint of comprehensive production of all crops in different regions was ranked in WuZhong (15.58 m3/kg) > Zhongwei (13.71 m3/kg) > Shizuishan (12.77 m3/kg) >Yinchuan (9.46 m3/kg) > Guyuan (8.21 m3/kg). ④Spatially, the proportion of blue-green water footprint increased from south to north, with the minimum 1.2:1 in Guyuan and the maximum 5:1 in Shizuishan.【Conclusion】In Ningxia where water resources are scarce, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the cropping system and irrigation based on water consumption of each crop to reduce water use in agriculture production and alleviate the detrimental consequences of water resources shortage. |
| Key words: water footprint; green water footprint; blue water footprint; main crops; Ningxia |
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