China uses irrigation water more efficiently: research

BEIJING -- China's irrigation water use efficiency improved from 2010 to 2016 as the gap of irrigation efficiency in different regions is gradually narrowing, according to a recent research.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of irrigation water use efficiency in China, providing a reference for the management and utilization of water in the agricultural sector.

Although the irrigation efficiency gap is narrowing, the research showed the irrigation efficiency in the eastern regions was still significantly higher than that in the western regions, and the efficiency in northern regions was higher than that in the southern regions.

The researchers also analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution differences of irrigation water use coefficient in large-, medium- and small-scale irrigation districts and pure well irrigation districts in 31 provincial-level regions.

Agricultural water accounts for more than 60 percent of the total water consumption in China. Improving agricultural strategies to use irrigation water more efficiently is important to alleviate water shortages and address environmental problems.

The research was published in the Journal of Environmental Management.