Regional Agricultural Systems Research Articles

Understanding the Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Influencing Factors of the Rice–Crayfish Field in Jianghan Plain, China

The rice–crayfish co-culture system, a representative of Agri-aqua food systems, has emerged worldwide as an effective strategy for enhancing agricultural land use efficiency and boosting sustainability, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. Despite its widespread adoption in China’s Jianghan Plain, the exact spatiotemporal dynamics and factors influencing this practice in this region are yet to be clarified. Therefore, understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of the rice–crayfish fields (RCFs) is crucial for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system, and optimizing land use policies. In this study, we identified the spatial distribution of RCF using Sentinel-2 images and land use spatiotemporal data to analyze its spatiotemporal dynamics during the period of 2016–2020. Additionally, we used the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression model to explore the key factors influencing RCF’s spatiotemporal changes. Our findings reveal that (1). the RCF area in Jianghan Plain expanded from 1216.04 km2 to 2429.76 km2 between 2016 and 2020, marking a 99.81% increase. (2). RCF in Jianghan Plain evolved toward a more contiguous and clustered spatial pattern, suggesting a clear industrial agglomeration in this area. (3). The expansion of the RCFs was majorly influenced by its landscape and local agricultural conditions. Significantly, the Aggregation and Landscape Shape Indexes positively impacted this expansion, whereas proximity to rural areas and towns had a negative impact. This study provides a solid foundation for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system and sustainably developing related industries. To ensure the sustainable development of rice–crayfish co-culture industries in Jianghan Plain, we recommend that local governments optimize the spatial layout of rural settlements, improve transportation infrastructure, and enhance regional agricultural water sources and irrigation system construction, all in line with the national strategy of rural revitalization and village planning. Additionally, promoting the concentration and contiguity of RCF through land consolidation can achieve efficient development of these industries.

National Agricultural Innovation System (NAIS): Diagnosis, Gaps, and Mapping of Actors

This article examines the diagnosis of the Agricultural Innovation System (SIA) in the department of Tolima, Colombia, as part of a project led by the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Technological University of Pereira (TUP), which also evaluated the National Agricultural Innovation System (NAIS) in regions such as Chocó, Bolívar, and Meta. A methodology was used that involved a survey with 58 questions on a Likert scale with 300 participants, evaluated with congruence and relevance indexes, identifying key variables in the operation of the Agricultural Innovation System (AIS). A survey was applied to map actors in the National Innovation System for Higher Education in Agriculture, as well as the participating actors in the regional agricultural innovation systems of Tolima to identify gaps in extension, innovation, development, sustainability, information technology (TI), education, and training. Among the conclusions, it stands out that the associativity subsystem presents the lowest performance and is close to a score of two on the scale of gaps. An evaluation was carried out among the five subsystems, including extension, TI, environmental aspects, and public policy. The department of Tolima shows low performance in innovation and TI, while their extension performance is less weak. In Chaparral, there is a general lag, with innovation being the worst evaluated subsystem. Rovira obtains high scores in most subsystems, although innovation and TI have lower scores. At the national and regional levels, innovation is low, and communication among the NARS actors is insufficient, which highlights the need to promote good practices, strategies, and projects.

Measurement of the level of high-quality agricultural development and analysis of spatial differences - An empirical study based on panel data in the Yangtze River Delta region

In the context of China entering the overlapping period of common prosperity and rural revitalization, rural revitalization under the vision of common prosperity is an important practical issue, and improving the utilization rate of agricultural resources is conducive to exploring the optimal path of improving the utilization efficiency of arable land resources, realizing the modernization of agriculture and assisting in rural revitalization. Based on the panel empirical data in the Yangtze River Delta region, this study firstly summarizes the research hotspots and trends of "high-quality development of agriculture" at home and abroad. Secondly, based on the relevant theories, we construct a theoretical framework for measuring the level and spatial differentiation of "high quality of agriculture", which contains "two sides and five basic dimensions". Then, the stata stepwise regression method is used to eliminate highly correlated variables, establish a comprehensive indicator system for measuring the trend of "regional agricultural production system and yield high quality development", and utilize the entropy value method to measure the trend of regional change in the comprehensive agricultural industry. Combining the five basic agricultural dimensions, analyze what factors affect the level of high-quality development of agriculture and spatial distribution differences. Combining the results of the analysis of the factors affecting the level of high-quality development and spatial differences in agriculture, we will draw a conclusion on the sustainable development of agriculture, and provide an appropriate way of operation for the strategy of high-quality integrated development of agriculture in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Regional nitrogen budgets of agricultural production systems in Austria constrained by natural boundary conditions

Nitrogen (N) budgets are valuable tools to increase the understanding of causalities between agricultural production and N emissions to support agri-environmental policy instruments. However, regional agricultural N budgets for an entire country covering all major N flows across sectors and environmental compartments, which also distinguish between different N forms, are largely lacking. This study comprehensively analyses regional differences in N budgets pertainting to agricultural production and consumption in the largely alpine and spatially heterogeneous country of Austria. A special focus is on the interconnections between regional agricultural production systems, N emissions, nitrogen use efficiencies (NUE), and natural boundary conditions. Seven regional and one national balance are undertaken via material flow analysis and are analysed with regards to losses into soils, water bodies and atmosphere. Further, NUE is calculated for two conceptual systems of plant and plant-livestock production. The results reveal major differences among regions, with significant implications for agri-environmental management. The high-alpine region, characterized by alpine pastures with a low livestock density, shows consequent low N inputs, the lowest area-specific N outputs and the most inefficient NUE. In contrast, the highest NUE is achieved in a lowland region specialized in arable farming with a low livestock density and a predominance of mineral fertilizer over manure application. In this region, the N surplus is almost as low as in the high-alpine region due to both significantly higher N inputs and outputs compared to the high-alpine region. Nevertheless, due to low precipitation levels, widespread exceedances of the nitrate target level concentration take place in the groundwater. The same issue arises in another non-alpine region characterized by arable farming and high livestock densities. Here, the highest N inputs, primarily via manure, result in the highest N surplus and related nitrate groundwater exceedances despite an acceptable NUE. These examples show that NUE alone is an insufficient target and that adapted criteria are needed for different regions to consider natural constraints and specific framework conditions. In a geographically heterogeneous country like Austria, the regional circumstances strongly define and limit the scope and the potential effectiveness of agricultural N management strategies. These aspects should be integrated into the design, assessment and implementation of agri-environmental programmes.

Building Research, Development, and Extension Capacity for Sustainable Fertilizer Use and Soil Health in Africa

Key findings are summarized from a study detailing how international donors and research organizations can more effectively strengthen the capacities of African national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES). International efforts are more successful in building the capacities of individuals than in strengthening the NARES institutions. Successful implementation of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit and similar initiatives will require stronger national, regional and continental agricultural research systems that can lead and drive these initiatives. The authors identify actions required to strengthen these African systems and effectively implement African-led agricultural initiatives.

Extension of Climate Smart Agriculture Technology and its Policy Effects in China

Climate change has a significant impact on agriculture so it is necessary to adapt to climate change to promote agricultural transformation and sustainable development. The key to achieving such a goal is to promote the development of climate smart agriculture (CSA) against the background of climate change. The paper first uses official statistical data to evaluate the effect of climate smart agricultural technology project, and then uses the statistical method of questionnaire survey to further investigate and statistically analyze the implementation effect of climate smart agricultural technology project in the pilot area. Further, semi-structured interview method is employed to conduct more in-depth investigation and analysis on some main topics on the basis of preliminary investigation and statistical analysis. The interviews focus on the environmental and economic effects of project practice, the difficulties of smallholder farmers’ technology extension, and the farmers’ willingness to participate. The study indicates that to promote climate smart agriculture technologies is an effective way to solve agricultural problem in practice under the background of climate change, and can achieve at least three benefits. The first is to reduce production costs, which can be reduced by 10% to 15% in terms of fertilizers and pesticides alone. The second is to improve productivity, and preliminary results show that food production can be increased by more than 5%. Finally, it has carbon sequestration capabilities and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the promotion of climate smart agriculture (CSA) technologies helps to solve the problem of agricultural transformation and sustainable development. To this end, it is necessary to drive the transformation and optimization of regional agricultural ecological environment and production system, and promote the innovation and extension of CSA technology. In addition, some soft conditions (e.g., talent, system and technology, etc.) and hard conditions (e.g., modern agricultural supply chain, agricultural big data and the Internet of Things, etc.), must be created, too.

Типология региональных систем АПК России

The modern conditions for the functioning of the Russian agro-industrial complex, due to both objective and subjective reasons, require improvement of adaptation and management mechanisms. The consequences of the coronavirus crisis have created a demand for transformation of the food security system. The regional level of management has the potential to overcome existing challenges and threats and solve emerging problems in the Russian agro-industrial complex. The transformation of regional agricultural systems requires comprehension both from the standpoint of an institutional approach and a theoretical and methodological one. The purpose of the study is to improve the theoretical principles of the functioning of regional agro-industrial complex systems by developing their typology. The article presents the scientific views of leading Russian scientists, as well as the results of their own research.

Modeling moisture redistribution from selective non-uniform application of biochar on Palouse hills

Precision agriculture is most effective in areas where significant in-field variation occurs. The Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest in the US, a vast area of undulating fertile farmland, has relatively high in-field variation in water retention and crop yield due to regional topography and uneven soil erosion. The regional agricultural systems depend on the soil at or near field capacity towards the end of a wet spring to support crops throughout the summer drought period. Dryland agricultural systems and high in-field variation and changing climate make water retention management practices throughout the region critical. A finite element vadose zone transport model was developed and used to understand the benefits of the targeted application of biochar on water retention and water redistribution in a representative hillslope. The model utilizes measured soil hydraulic properties to predict soil moisture distribution over the dry season. A Redwood Sawdust and Wheat Straw biochar was amended at 4% and 7% concentrations by mass. Biochar amended soils showed an increase in water retention and apparent reduction in unsaturated hydraulic conductivity as the soil approached saturated conditions. After two months of bare field evaporation, the model showed that biochar impacts water redistribution in the soil profile, contributing to positive and negative changes and a net increase in water retention. Model outputs with biochar showed increased retention in and around the amendment area, although the magnitude between outputs varied, with some samples showing minimal effectiveness. Despite the differences in magnitude with targeted biochar amendment, these results indicate that biochar can change water redistribution (up to 0.5%) in a soil profile. Additionally, the developed model shows promise as a field and regional level management tool to determine the best return on investment from biochar application when applied in a targeted manner.

РАЗВИТИЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНЫХ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННЫХ СИСТЕМ АПК В ЦИФРОВОЙ ЭКОНОМИКЕ

This article discusses the development of regional agricultural production systems in the digital economy. Digitalization, which is aimed at achieving and retaining competitive innovative advantages of the domestic agro-industrial complex, allowing for effective management of the complex and solving the problem of food security at the federal level.

Evaluation of remote sensing and artificial intelligence as tools to improve the resilience of agriculture production systems

In recent decades, based on new developments in data acquisition, processing, and analysis of satellite remote sensing images, various innovations have been proposed to monitor regional or global agricultural production systems’ resilience. This paper reviews the latest advances in satellite remote sensing techniques and artificial intelligence methods for agriculture sustainability assessment, with a special focus on their application to check the resilience of agriculture production systems. We propose a new approach that combines remote sensing and artificial intelligence, which can be used to improve the resilience of agriculture production systems. This approach is based on classifying the vulnerability of an agricultural sector’s production system into one of three categories—high vulnerability, moderate vulnerability, and low vulnerability. A possible application is presented.

The Millet of the Matter: Archeobotanical Evidence for Farming Strategies of Western Han Dynasty Core Area Inhabitants.

Despite decades of investigation, consensus has yet to be reached on when and where wheat replaced millet as the primary crop in the core regions of early Imperial China. Previous studies have suggested that wheat cultivation likely became widespread prior to or during the Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220). Here, we tested this hypothesis by applying archeobotanical tools to plant remains found in five pottery model granaries (cang) entombed in a newly excavated late Western Han burial at the Longzaocun cemetery in the Guanzhong Basin. This analysis allowed us to explore the extent of wheat expansion and agricultural strategies in the heartland of early dynastic China. Macro- and micro-botanical evidence shows that the Longzaocun residents consumed two kinds of crops: foxtail and common millet. Combining these findings with previous studies, we argue that millet-based multi-crop farming dominated the regional agricultural system during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 8) and analyze the political and cultural motivations for the Han people’s usage on millet crops from the burial concepts and fiscal systems. Echoing previous studies, we argue that millets remained the most valuable subsistence food for inhabitants of the Loess Basins in the Han core, and that wheat was not cultivated on a large scale in this area during the Western Han Dynasty.

A hydro-economic analysis of end-of-century climate projections on agricultural land and water use, production, and revenues in the U.S. Northern Rockies and Great Plains

Study region,Montana, U.S.A. Study focus Creating adaptation plans for projected imbalances in the western U.S. agricultural water demand-supply system are difficult given uncertainty in climate projections. It is critical to understand the uncertainties and vulnerabilities of the regional agricultural system and hydrologic impacts of climate change adaptation. We applied a stochastic, integrated hydro-economic model that simulates land and water allocations to analyse Montana farmer adaptations to a range of projected climate conditions and the response of the hydrologic system to those adaptations. Satellite observations of crop types, productivity, water use, and land allocation were used for model calibration. A suite of climate models was employed to quantify end-of-century impacts on streamflows, water and land use, production, and net revenues.New hydrological insights for the region Simulations showed summer streamflows were influenced by a state-wide 18.2% increase in agricultural water use. Decreased summer water availability with increased demand could have far reaching impacts downstream. Land use for irrigated crops increased 1.6%, while rainfed crops decreased 6.5%, implying state-level decrease in planted area. Even with increased land and water use for irrigated crops, production decreased 0.5%, while rainfed production decreased 2.7%. Corresponding losses in net revenues totaled 1.5% and 7.2% for irrigated and rainfed crops, respectively.Results highlight vulnerabilities of semi-arid agricultural regions and can aid water managers in sustaining agriculture in these regions.

The use of FADN methodology to support the evaluation of business development plans in the RDP Sicily 2014-2020

Article 19(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 provides that business start-up aid for young farmers, non-agricultural activities in rural areas and the development of small farms shall be conditional on the submission of a business plan.Therefore, this tool, also known as Farm Development Plan (FDP), is mandatory to verify the economic improvement of an investment under sub-measures 6.1 "Business start up aid for young farmers", 4.1 "Investments in agricultural holdings" and operation 6.4.a "Investments in creation and development of non-agricultural activities" so that rural development resources can be directed towards those project ideas which are consistent with the objectives and purposes of the rural development strategy and, thanks to the support, have the highest probability of success. The article presents the lesson learned from the Sicilian experience of designing a web-based tool for FDP submission, namely "PSAWeb Sicilia". This device allowed the Managing Authority (MA) of RDP Sicily 2014-2020 to make available an FDP scheme to users in compliance with EU obligations, consistent with the objectives and purposes of the Programme, as well as with the implementing and procedural provisions of regional calls. The computerised management of the FDPs ensured better coordination between the offices responsible for verifying and evaluating the proposals, while processing and analysis of aggregated data from over 8,400 business plans provided an in-depth knowledge of the investment needs in Sicilian agriculture and a better capacity to forecast the RDP potential response as well as some aspects of specific interest to the regional agricultural system. Thanks to PSAWeb Sicilia, in fact, a large amount of data at farm, sectoral, territorial and type of investment level was collected providing information of inestimable value not available from other data sources. The assessment of access requirements in terms of farms' economic size, economic-financial viability and profitability was ensured by borrowing principles and procedures from the Italian FADN. The cooperation between the MA and CREA-PB achieved several results. Firstly, the data collected combined with the monitoring data have been made available for the evaluation activity and for the communication to the public of the RDP implementation. This information will also be very useful both for better targeting interventions in 2021-22 and for reprogramming them in the future cap. Finally, as a positive externality, the use of the application has contributed to increasing accounting knowledge among operators and technicians in the agricultural sector, so that it has become a teaching tool in some university courses.

Доктрина продовольственной безопасности: региональный аспект

The article discusses issues of the state of the agro-industrial complex of the region in connection with the need to fulfill the targets approved in January 2020 by the new edition of the Food Security Doctrine of Russia. The purpose of the study is to identify the problems of the northern region and to develop proposals for changing the situation for the successful implementation of the Doctrine. The scientific problem discussed in the article relates to the determination of the methodological foundations of the most relevant areas of agrarian policy for the current state, ensuring the implementation of the Food Security Doctrine of Russia and increasing the level of self-sufficiency of the region. The author's research develops the theory of determining the socio-economic role of effective interaction between authorities of different levels, scientific justification of the prospects for the further development of the agro-industrial complex due to the transformation of the industry development management system, innovative approach to training personnel for the agricultural sector, and introduction of new technological solutions as highly relevant. It has been established that such factors as the lack of effective interaction between the state and municipal authorities, and also the lack of young qualified personnel, whose competence meets the modern requirements, have a negative impact on the economy of agricultural production and food self-sufficiency of the region as a whole. The article draws attention to the underestimated opportunities for improving the situation in the agro-industrial complex due to a change in the scheme of interaction between the state and municipal authorities during the implementation of the program-targeted method of regulation and strategic planning, as well as the creation of a scientific and educational complex in the region for the training of competitive specialists for the agro-industrial complex. In order to improve the situation, it is necessary to consolidate the formation of a regional agricultural system on the basis of a set of similar systems developed by the municipalities themselves, based on the relevant climatic conditions, financial, material and labor resources of these areas. Besides, it is necessary to start the training of personnel for the agroindustrial complex system from school, applying new educational standards, based on scientific developments.

Microbial genetic resources in food security to face COVID-19 pandemic

<p>COVID-19 has had an impact on the regional and worldwide agricultural value chain, jeopardizing food security. It is time to reassess the approach of the agri-food sector and to consider that the food supply and plant health, as agrosystemic services, must depend on strategies with a low impact on productive and environmental assets. One strategy is the use and optimization of microbial genetic resources (MGR) related to agroecosystems as a source of balance, functionality, productivity, inhibition of the impact of pests and pathogens, and contribution to the profitability of agri-food activity. It is necessary to strengthen and develop regional agricultural systems that are dynamic, that mitigate damages to the environment and produce nutritional and nutraceutical foods that ensure human health. Agricultural sciences are undergoing changes in scientific paradigms that will benefit the agri-food sector if we are able to learn from the impacts of an extensive technological agriculture. Approaching agriculture from an agro-systemic point of view in which the crop-community is the functional biological unit of study and to preserve the MGR diversity are the greatest challenges to create sustainable and resilient strategies and technologies that contribute towards human health and help prevent risks during health crises such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.</p>

The ARYA crop yield forecasting algorithm: Application to the main wheat exporting countries

Wheat is the most important commodity traded in the international food market. Thus, accurate and timely information on wheat production can help mitigate food price fluctuations. Within the existing operational regional and global scale agricultural monitoring systems that provide information on global crop yield and area forecasts, there are still fundamental gaps: #1. Lack of quantitative Earth Observation (EO) derived crop information, #2. Lack of global but detailed (national or subnational level) and timely crop production forecasts and #3. Lack of information on forecast uncertainties. In this study we present the Agriculture Remotely-sensed Yield Algorithm (ARYA) an EO-based method, advancing the state of EO-data application and usage (addressing gap #1) to forecast wheat yield. The algorithm is based on the evolution of the Difference Vegetation Index (DVI) using MODIS data at 1 km resolution and the Growing Degree Days (GDD) from reanalysis data. Additionally, we explore how Land Surface Temperature (LST) can be included into the model and whether this parameter adds any value to the model performance when combined with the optical information. ARYA is implemented at the national and subnational level to forecast winter wheat yield in the main wheat exporting countries of US, Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Australia and Argentina from 2001 to 2019 (covering over 70% of wheat exports globally) in a timely manner by providing daily forecasts (addressing gap #2). The results show that ARYA provides yield estimations with RMSE’s within 0.3 ± 0.1 t/ha at national level and 0.6 ± 0,1 t/ha at subnational level after Day Of the Year (DOY) 140 (mid May) in the Northern Hemisphere and DOY 280 (beginning of October) in the Southern Hemisphere. This means that ARYA can provide crop yield estimates of wheat yield with 5–15% error at national and 7–20% error at subnational level starting from 2 to 2.5 months prior to harvest.

Environmental consequences of wheat-based crop rotation in potato farming systems in galicia, Spain

Intensive agricultural farming systems have negative impacts on the ecosystem. Therefore, the use of crop rotation emerges as an opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. In the region of Galicia in north-western Spain, potato and wheat are important commodities and essential foods in the diet. Hence, it is interesting to investigate the environmental profile of these crops to improve the understanding of local agrosystems. This study evaluated three agricultural crops managed under a crop rotation system and following a conventional arable farming: the main rotation crop, which is the potato in the first year (cP), followed by a second year of commercial wheat (cW) and autochthonous Galician wheat (GcW) in the third year. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was performed using four types of functional units: in terms of productivity (kg−1); land management (ha−1∙year−1); a financial function (euros €−1 of income from sales) and energetic value (MJ−1). The environmental indicators selected are Climate Change (CC), Particulate Matter (PM), Terrestrial Acidification (TA), Freshwater Eutrophication (FE), Marine Eutrophication (ME), Human Toxicity (HT), Land Use (LU) and Fossil Depletion (FD).The figures show that the GcW has the lowest environmental impact when the functional units refer to land management, financial function and energetic value. However, if analysed in terms of productivity, cP is presented as the best crop due to its comparatively higher yield, reaching a production ratio 10 times higher than wheat. In the specific case of wheat, compared to a previous study in the same region, the environmental impacts are lower when grown in a crop rotation system in contrast to monoculture. This article demonstrates the relevance of using LCA for diverse stakeholders (e.g., farmers, consumers and researchers) to understand the environmental impacts of regional agricultural systems. In addition, it serves as a basis for future work aimed at comparing rotational agricultural systems in this region, integrating economic and social aspects.

Cyclic-genetic approach to the formation of theories of sustainable balanced development of agricultural production

In modern conditions of the industrialization of the world community, the issues of the formation of a balanced innovative development of agricultural territories are actualized, on which not only the standard of living of the rural population, food security of the country, but also national security in general depend largely. In these conditions, the issues of forming an integrated mechanism for managing this process based on the results of innovation and self-organization tools are especially acutely discussed. However, in world, scientific practice there is still no common opinion on a single interpretation of the concept of “balance”, most judgments are based on the identification of the term with the concept of “sustainable development”. The paper presents the results of identifying the main stages of development of regional systems in world practice, highlights the features of the formation of theories of balanced development, the main representatives of the scientific community on the research problem. An attempt is made to distinguish between the concepts of “sustainable” and “balanced” development, it is shown that its lexical meaning “sustainable development” can be achieved only if a number of conditions are met, including the obvious fact of the need to achieve a balance of the studied conditions, phenomena in regional agricultural systems. An overview of the specific characteristics of the categorical side of the term “balance” is given. The results obtained expand the theoretical basis for the scientific understanding of the development of agricultural areas and will allow forming their own opinion about the theories of balanced development of agricultural systems. The material can be of scientific interest for the formation of scientific judgments about the functioning of effective agricultural production.

Regional agriculture in the context of sustainable development: legal and social issues

This paper discusses the issues of sustainable development in agriculture from a regional perspective and particularly focuses on the social and legal aspects of the problem. The authors point out that sustainability of regional agriculture is affected by various national, geographical, and other factors as well as the mentality of the local population. In this study, sustainability of regional agriculture is defined as the way of ensuring optimal conditions for the preservation of the regional agricultural sector in the times of crisis, as well as the creation of an efficient socio-economic mechanism that guarantees the steady and eco-friendly development of agriculture. In this regard, the efforts of the regional business community and government support can be very effective at ensuring the sustainability of regional agricultural systems. In today’s market economy, the government seeks to stimulate economic growth while also considering the interests of the rural population, which is impossible to achieve unless the regional agriculture is sustainable.

Clarifying Regional Water Scarcity in Agriculture based on the Theory of Blue, Green and Grey Water Footprints

Water scarcity mitigation in regional agricultural systems contributes to water use efficiency improvement. Blue (WSIblue), green (WSIgreen) and grey (WSIgrey) water scarcity indices were proposed to describe various water stresses in detail and further determine the type of regional water scarcity. WSIblue and WSIgreen reveal resource-based water scarcities, and WSIgrey characterizes environment-based water shortages. Provincial water scarcity indices of China from 2000–2014 were calculated and analyzed in the current paper. The results indicated that the national WSI, WSIgrey, WSIblue and WSIgreen values are 0.84, 0.16, 0.39 and 0.89, respectively. China is facing a high water stress, manifested as a resource-based water shortage. Northwest and Northeast China experience a severe water quantity scarcity with high WSIblue and WSIgreen values, and the central and eastern regions exhibit a high WSIgrey value. Eastern China faces both serious resource-based and environmental water shortages. The constructed blue, green and grey water scarcity indices compensate for the inability of the existing index to determine the type of water shortage and indicate the reason for water scarcity. They also provide a targeted guiding significance for the formulation of effective measures to improve agricultural water resource management and alleviate regional water scarcity.