Abstract
Water resources are essential for agricultural production in the grain-producing region of China, and water shortage could significantly affect the production and international trade of agricultural products. China is placing effort in new policies to effectively respond to changes in water resources due to changes in land use/land cover as well as climatic variations. This research investigates the changes in land, water, and the awareness of farmer vis-à-vis the implementation of water-saving policies in Zhangye City, an experimental site for pilot programs of water resources management in China. This research indicates that the water saved through water-saving programs and changes in cropping structure (2.2 × 108 m3 a−1) is perhaps lower than the newly increased water withdrawal through corporate-led land reclamation (3.7 × 108 m3 a−1). Most critically, the groundwater withdrawal has increased. In addition, our survey suggests that local government is facing a dilemma of water conservation and agricultural development. Therefore, the enforcement of the ban on farmland reclamation and irrigation water quotas in our study area is revealed to be relatively loose. In this vein, the engagement of local stakeholders in water governance is essential for the future sustainable management of water resources.
Highlights
China’s rapid development and large population exert serious strains on its water resources
Land use/land cover classification is an important application of geospatial data which extracts thematic information from satellite data (Avtar et al 2013)
Our study indicates that recent water policy reforms in Zhangye City may not meet the local government’s expectations
Summary
China’s rapid development and large population exert serious strains on its water resources. Growing demand for irrigation water and limited management practices are placing pressure on water resources (Liu et al 2017). Previous water resource management strategies focusing on water conservancy and transfer projects, e.g., irrigation canals and dams, have allowed China to leverage its limited water resources and arable land to feed its large population. China’s annual average freshwater resources of 2800 billion cubic meters is ranked as the sixth largest. Page 2 of 15 in the world, the per capita water resources of the country stands at a mere 2040 m3 per capita which are only one fourth of the global average (Wang et al 2008). In addition to the low per capita availability of water resources, there is a mismatch in China between the spatial distribution of water resources and geographic regions with high population densities
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