China’s Agricultural Water Policy Reforms - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 119

Chapter 9.
China's Agricultural Water Policy Reforms

Bin Lui 1

The population, food, resources and the environment have been under high pressure for a
long period of time in China. The water supply and demand situation is serious. It is
estimated that China's population will peak at 1.6 billion in 2030, and this will increase
demand for agricultural products, and for agricultural water as well. Increasing
industrial and domestic water use will further affect agricultural water supplies. So
China's agricultural water system is facing great challenges. In such a severe situation,
the Chinese government actively tests agricultural water use policy reforms to guarantee
the basic agricultural water supplies and farmers' benefits, in order to support
sustainable agricultural development and secure grain production with limited water
resources.

1. China's agricultural water circumstances

Water resources in China total 2800 billion cubic meters, but per capita consumption
is only 2200 cubic meters and per hectare consumption 6200 cubic meters, which are
50% and one-third of world averages respectively. The per capita consumption will
decrease to 1760 cubic meters in 2030, when China's population reaches 1.6 billion. At
the same time, the temporal and spatial distribution of water resources is uneven, and
does not match with the distribution of industrial and other resources. Some 60%-80% of
rainfall and runoff are concentrated in the flood season. The areas north of the Yangtze
have 65.4% of the cultivated land, 46.1% of population and 45.8% of the GDP of the
country, but only 19% of the water resources. The Yellow, Huai and Hai river basins
especially, with 34% of the population and 33.3% of the GDP of China, have only 7.7%
of the water resources.
These circumstances result in severe conflict between water supply and demand,
heavy water pollution and water and soil erosion. It is estimated that, according to normal
demand without over-drafting groundwater resources, the average water shortage in
China is 30-40 billion cubic meters. A total of 400 cities out of 669 are short of water.
Between 1980-2020, water usage was continuously increasing, resulting in water
conflicts between industry and agriculture and urban and rural areas, and between
regions, severely compromising of ecological water use.
1. Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, Beijing, China.