Forty years of irrigation development and reform in China

Abstract

This study reviews 40 years of irrigation development in China including the transformation of the institutional and incentive structures in irrigation management. After rural reforms in the 1970s, irrigation investments slowed until the late 1990s. In North China, farmers became major investors in groundwater irrigation, leading to property rights’ transfer of tube wells from collective to private ownership. Despite positive effects in cropping patterns, farmer income and development of groundwater markets, privatisation has accelerated groundwater table deterioration. Since the middle of 1990s, Water User Associations have replaced village collective management of surface irrigation. This approach was adopted by most provinces by early 2001 with mixed results; only institutions with water‐saving incentives realised efficient irrigation. The Government is reforming water price policies to provide water‐saving incentives to farmers while not hurting their income. While China has focused on water rights and markets, and despite regulations and pilot projects, full implementation of water rights has been slow. Research reveals greater policy scope for expanding irrigation technologies that generate real water saving to rural areas. Given pressure associated with water scarcity and concern for food security, further effective reforms in irrigation and policy incentives are expected. The Government has also initiated some pilot projects to resolve increasing water scarcity problems through adjusting agricultural production activities.

Deceleration of China’s human water use and its key drivers

“…4 A and B), including farmers' behavior (52). Farmers were skilled at adjusting their adaptation behavior in response to the changes in local climate (53), water availability (54,55), market condition (56), and irrigation subsidies (57), which eventually influence irrigation. Despite these potential effects in China, how and to what extent farmers' behavior can determine irrigation WUI changes still remain elusive and require more investigation.…”

“…S14). In contrast, over the same period, the increase of irrigated areas stagnated or even reversed primarily in south China due to declined investment (56).…”

“…S14), although a causal relationship with policies cannot be established. Before 1975, irrigation infrastructure investment was a key priority to increase agricultural production, resulting in an increase of irrigated areas from less than 30 to 43% of all croplands (56). At that time, improvement in demand-side management was not targeted, and irrigation WUI across the nation slightly increased, that is, irrigation became less efficient (SI Appendix, Fig.…”

The impact of access to irrigation on rural incomes and diversification: evidence from China

“…through its impact on seedbed preparation, germination, root growth, absorption efficiency of fertilizers and crop growth) and farm economic performance (e.g. crop yields and farm income) (Huang et al, 2006;Kajisa and Payongayong, 2011;Li et al, 2020;Schuenemann et al, 2018;Silveira et al, 2020;Van Den Berg and Ruben, 2006;Wang et al, 2019). Therefore, enhancing the construction of irrigation infrastructure is considered a way to significantly improve the livelihoods of rural households.…”

Sensitivity analysis of the influences of mortar aging and loss on the structural performance of masonry arch aqueducts

“…Most of the large irrigation districts in China were built in the 1950s and 1960s [1,2] . The masonry arch aqueduct uses local materials, and has the advantages of simple structure, easy maintenance, and large bearing potential.…”