Agricultural irrigation in China

Abstract

During the past decade, the Chinese government launched a series of programs to enhance the sustainable use of water resources and has made great strides in water-saving strategies. The task of fighting water shortage remains challenging, however, and will be increasingly difficult in the future because of increased irrigation requirements due to climate change and other factors. Various measures must work together to deal with irrigation requirement increases. Improving water resource management infrastructure; repairing old irrigation systems; investing in hydraulic projects; promoting watersaving technologies; adjusting agricultural water structures; increasing harmonization among agriculture, forestry, herding, and fisheries as well as water consumption by grain crops, cash crops, and grazing grass; enhancing agriculture water use efficiency; and planting more water efficient cultivars can all contribute to sustainable future management of water resources.