Spatiotemporal dynamics of cultivated land and its impact on water security in northern China

Zheng Xv and Aifeng Lv

Agricultural Water Management, 2025, vol. 318, issue C

Abstract: Cultivated land and water resources are vital to agricultural production, and changes in their spatial distribution significantly affect regional water security and food supply. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics of China’s cultivated land from 1995 to 2020 using land use data. Daily crop water demand is estimated via the Penman-Monteith equation and the crop coefficient method, enabling provincial-level assessments of total demand and deficits. The Water Security Index for Rainfed Agriculture (WSIR) is applied to evaluate how changes in land distribution affect water security. Results show that from 1995 to 2020, China’s cultivated land shifted from the southeast to the northwest, aggravating regional water imbalances, especially in arid northern areas. Water demand is highest in the eastern, southern, and northern regions; however, rainfall shortages in the north lead to significant deficits. The national average WSIR is 69 %; southeastern provinces have relatively abundant rainfall suitable for rainfed farming, while northwestern areas suffer from severe scarcity and depend on irrigation. As farmland expands northward, water resource pressure increases, highlighting the need for efficient utilization and rational allocation. The study emphasizes that spatial shifts in cultivated land have substantial impacts on water security and agricultural sustainability. Future strategies should align farmland distribution with water availability, enhance water transfers, and improve irrigation efficiency to alleviate water stress and ensure food and ecological security.

Keywords: Cultivated land dynamics; Water demand; Rainfed agriculture; Water resource security; Sustainable agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425004585

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109744

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