Evaluating Agricultural Resource Pressure and Food Security in China and “Belt and Road” Partner Countries with Virtual Water Trade

Chengyu Li (), Jiayi Sun, Xin Wen, Zuhui Xia (), Shuchang Ren and Jiaxin Wu
Additional contact information
Chengyu Li: School of Economics and Management, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Jiayi Sun: School of Economics and Management, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Xin Wen: School of Economics and Management, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Zuhui Xia: School of Economics and Management, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Shuchang Ren: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Jiaxin Wu: School of Economics and Management, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: Water scarcity has emerged as a critical constraint on agricultural development and food security worldwide, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions such as Central Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa, which are part of the “Belt and Road” Initiative. This study, based on a global multi-regional input–output model, quantitatively analyzes the virtual water flows between China and countries along the “Belt and Road”. It focuses on water-scarce regions, examining the impact of virtual water trade on agricultural resource pressures and food security, as well as the transfer of water resources in trade patterns. The findings indicate that virtual water trade, as an innovative water resource management strategy, can redistribute water resources through international trade, thereby alleviating water stress and enhancing food security in water-scarce areas. Despite China’s status as a net importer in virtual water trade with “Belt and Road” countries, the majority of virtual water flows toward nations with relatively abundant water resources, rather than to the most water-deficient areas. This discovery reveals imbalances in virtual water trade patterns, suggesting that current trade models do not effectively alleviate water and food security pressures in water-scarce regions. The “Belt and Road” mechanism should provide new ideas for solving the huge gap between virtual water theory and reality. In response, this paper proposes optimizing trade structures, strengthening agricultural water resource management, promoting green virtual water trade, fostering regional cooperation, improving data quality and transparency, encouraging agricultural diversification, and increasing investment in water-saving agricultural technologies.

Keywords: virtual water trade; multi-regional input–output model; green virtual water; blue water footprint; water resource management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/4/1599/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/4/1599/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:4:p:1599-:d:1591670

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().