Historical Trends in China's Virtual Water Trade

Abstract Increasing water scarcity in China demands a more detailed analysis of water use in different sectors. In this paper, China's food import and export levels are analyzed in light of water availability. Their contributions to national water management in the form of virtual water are also evaluated. The findings show that the virtual water trade has developed unconsciously. This trend has been greatly influenced by micro- and macro-economic conditions, as well as fluctuations in weather conditions. Given the intensification of water scarcity, future food policy should promote an active application of virtual water strategies (such as virtual water trade and agricultural structure adjustment) to improve food security and sustainable water uses. With the progressive liberalization of food markets in China, virtual water trade is likely to play a more important role in future water resources management.

[1]  Sulekha Patel,et al.  World development indicators 2009 , 2009 .

[2]  Jing Ma,et al.  Virtual versus real water transfers within China , 2006, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[3]  A. Hoekstra,et al.  Water footprints of nations , 2004 .

[4]  Peter Reichert,et al.  A water resources threshold and its implications for food security. , 2003, Environmental science & technology.

[5]  Charles A. S. Hall,et al.  Land use change in rice, wheat and maize production in China (1961-1998) , 2003 .

[6]  Hong Yang,et al.  Water Endowments and Virtual Water Trade , 2002 .

[7]  Scott Rozelle,et al.  Enhancing the crops to feed the poor , 2002, Nature.

[8]  Keyzer,et al.  Estimation of Agricultural Production Relations in the LUC Model for China , 2002 .

[9]  Scott Rozelle,et al.  The Evolution of China's Rural Labor Markets During the Reforms , 2002 .

[10]  Jikun Huang,et al.  China's Accession to WTO and Shifts in the Agriculture Policy , 2002 .

[11]  Hong Yang,et al.  China's Regional Water Scarcity and Implications for Grain Supply and Trade , 2001 .

[12]  Xiubing Li,et al.  Cultivated land and food supply in China. , 2000 .

[13]  Hong Yang.  Growth in China's Grain Production 1978-1997: A Disaggregate Analysis , 1999 .

[14]  C. Perry,et al.  New Directions in Water Research: IWMI at the Threshold of the Twenty-first Century , 1999 .

[15]  J. A. Allan,et al.  Virtual Water: A Strategic Resource Global Solutions to Regional Deficits , 1998 .

[16]  Bruce Ross-Larsen.  At China's table : food security options , 1997 .

[17]  J. Lin.  Institutional reforms and dynamics of agricultural growth in China , 1997 .

[18]  R. Paarlberg.  Feeding china: a confident view , 1997 .

[19]  Lester R. Brown,et al.  Who Will Feed China?: Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet , 1995 .

[20]  J. Neufeld,et al.  The State of Food and Agriculture , 1970 .

[21]  Jikun Huang,et al.  Trade liberalization and China's food economy in the 21st century: implications for China's national food security. , 2003 .

[22]  A. Hoekstra.  Virtual water trade : A quantification of virtual water flows between nations in relation to international crop trade , 2003 .

[23]  Jikun Huang,et al.  China'S Agricultural Water Policy Reforms: Increasing Investment, Resolving Conflicts, And Revising Incentives , 2003 .

[24]  D. Zimmer,et al.  Virtual water in food production and global trade : Review of methodological issues and preliminary results , 2003 .

[25]  B. Bouman,et al.  Aerobic Rice (Han Dao): A New Way of Growing Rice in Water-Short Areas , 2002 .

[26]  Changming Liu,et al.  Water-saving agriculture in China: An overview , 2002 .

[27]  Jikun Huang,et al.  Effects of Trade Liberalization on Agriculture in China: Institutional and Structural Aspects , 1999 .

[28]  A. Nyberg.  At China's table : food security options , 1997 .

[29]  Enjiang Cheng,et al.  Internal Reform, Budget Issues and the Internationalisation of the Grain Market in China , 1997 .

[30]  Chennan Fan.  The third revolution in the Chinese countryside: China's rural property rights system under reform , 1996 .

[31]  China's agenda 21: White Paper on China's Population, Environment and Development in the 21st Century. , 1994, China population today.

[32]  T. Sicular.  China's agricultural policy during the reform period. , 1990 .

[33]  中華人民共和国国家統計局.  China statistical yearbook , 1988 .