By Liu Yan, Information Center, Cheng Yu, Research Department of Rural Economy, DRC

Research Report No 36, 2016 (Total NO 4919) 2016-3-28

Abstract: With a strategic position for China's agricultural production and national food security, major grain producing areas contributed 75% of the national grain output and 90% of the increase in grain production (except 2007 and 2009). However, the constraints of water resources in major grain producing areas have become increasingly grim. On one hand, food production is facing water resource constraints due to limited per capita water resources and asymmetrical balance between soil and water resources. On the other hand, the level of water resource development and utilization of grain production is not high. The extensive irrigation method has led to serious waste of water, and the serious degrading of irrigation facilities has resulted in backward mechanism. Therefore, it is an urgent need to improve the utilization of agricultural water resources in major grain producing areas. It is recommended that we should establish an overall control on agricultural irrigation water amount as well as a quota management system. We should make coordinated efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction of farmland irrigation, and introduce and innovate high efficiency and water saving irrigation engineering. In addition, we should establish an integrated protection system of farmland, water, irrigation and drainage, and further improve the farmland water conservancy management system.

Key words: agricultural water resources, utilization, major grain producing areas