Assessment of Crop Water Footprint and Actual Agricultural Water Consumption in Arid Inland Regions: A Case Study of Aksu Region

Jiali Ma, Pei Zhang, Xiaoya Deng, Xiaoying Lai, Cai Ren, Ji Zhang, Jing Liu, Yanfei Zhang and Aihua Long ()
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Jiali Ma: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Pei Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Xiaoya Deng: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Xiaoying Lai: Department of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Cai Ren: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Ji Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Jing Liu: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Yanfei Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China
Aihua Long: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Water scarcity is a major issue in arid regions, and it is crucial to have an accurate understanding of water resource utilization for informed decision-making regarding water-related issues. However, due to various reasons such as inadequate measuring facilities, the actual agricultural water usage is often underestimated. The concept and methodology of the water footprint, based on a life-cycle perspective, provide a powerful tool for studying the actual water usage in agriculture. By utilizing the theories and models of water footprints, a method for reviewing the actual agricultural water usage in arid regions is proposed. Taking the Aksu region as an example, the evolution patterns and water consumption of 15 major crops over a 31-year period from 1990 to 2020 were calculated and analyzed. The research shows that the total water footprint of crops in the Aksu region has increased by nearly 3.13 times over the 31-year period, with significant accelerations in 2003 and 2016. The green water footprint accounts for an average of about 8% of the major crops, while the average water footprint of cotton accounts for over 57.2% of the total water footprint of major crops in the study area. Based on the calculation of the blue water footprint, the actual water usage in the Aksu region in 2020 was estimated to be 11.128 billion cubic meters, which is 1.30 times higher than the reported water usage, with groundwater extraction being 2.46 times higher than reported. This method of water footprint analysis for reviewing actual water usage and its application examples provide a methodological foundation and technical support for regional water resource management and policymaking.

Keywords: water footprint; statistics water consumption; actual water consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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