How water saving irrigation contributes to climate change resilience—a case study of practices in China

Zou, Xiaojuan; Li, Yue; Gao, Qingzhu; Wan, Yunfan

doi:10.1007/s11027-011-9316-8

Cited by 41 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…3 Geographic distribution of agricultural adaptive capacity to climate change in China for the year 2010 Skourtos et al 2014). For example, water saving irrigation is considered to be an effective option in China which can support both adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change (Zou et al 2012).…”

Section: Agricultural Vulnerability To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated assessment of China’s agricultural vulnerability to climate change: a multi-indicator approach

Xiong

et al. 2014

Climatic Change

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Assessment of agricultural vulnerability to climate change is a prerequisite for developing effective adaptation options and strategies for the future. While assessment approaches vary across sectors and countries, there is a need to devise an effective method to assess agricultural vulnerability and provide information to policy-makers and stakeholders so that they can take appropriate adaptation actions. Agricultural vulnerability is analyzed as a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity using a multi-indicator approach. Spatial and temporal assessment is undertaken through constructing maps of agricultural vulnerability in China. The results indicate that using multiple indicators is very practical for assessing agricultural vulnerability and that agricultural vulnerability is already significant in Guizhou, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in China and will become more serious in the 2040s. It was also found that adaptive capacity was generally underdeveloped in poor regions, such as Guizhou, Yunnan and Gansu. We recommend that policy-makers increase investment in improving irrigation infrastructure and provide more opportunities for the education of farmers and stakeholders together with developing the economy in vulnerable areas.

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Section: Agricultural Vulnerability To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated assessment of China’s agricultural vulnerability to climate change: a multi-indicator approach

Xiong

et al. 2014

Climatic Change

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“…The water saving rate of each technique compared with traditional irrigation is shown in Table 2. For details of these data see Zou et al (2012).…”

Section: ) Water Saving Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural irrigation in China

Zou

Kuo

et al. 2013

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

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Global change caused by increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has become a common concern of the international community. As the largest emitter of GHGs and the second largest irrigator in the world, a clear understanding of how much GHG is emitted from irrigation in China is of great importance. But no previous studies address this question. So based on Chinese official statistical data, this study estimates GHG emissions from agricultural irrigation in order to inform strategies for reasonable use of water resources and emission reduction. The study finds that in 2010 the total carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) equivalent (CO 2 -e) emission from agricultural irrigation is 36.72~54.16 Mt. Emissions from energy activities in irrigation (including water pumping and conveyance) account for 50 %~70 % of total emissions from energy activities in the agriculture sector. Ground water pumping is the biggest emission source, accounting for 60.97 % of total irrigation emissions. Given the extent of global ground water over exploitation, balancing conservation and exploitation of ground water resources is very important to both emission reduction and sustainable development. The GHG emission intensity of irrigation depends largely on water use efficiency, so improvement of water use efficiency (both technical and managerial) can be an effective way to reduce emissions. Enhanced overall management of water utilization, balanced exploitation of water resources to avoid excessive ground water consumption, and active promotion of water use efficiency can contribute to reducing GHG emissions and pressure on water resources and advance sustainable agricultural production.

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“…Increases in the area of canal lining for conveyance and micro-irrigation for application produce the highest proportional effect on raising irrigation efficiency ( figure 4). The analysis of the influence on emissions from irrigation technology, and water and energy sources, shows that expansion of sprinkler systems strongly increases the emission rates (figure 5); this would not be the case, however, in areas where the groundwater pump head would be greater than the critical energy saving head (Zou et al 2012). There are other important messages: pumping groundwater is clearly the most energy intensive process and changing the distribution of energy sources towards more electric pumps produces a reduction in emissions.…”

Section: Influence Of Key Parameters On the Waterenergy Nexus Of Irrimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, improving conveyance efficiency through canal lining and pipelines may be the most effective way of achieving the co-benefit of reducing water application with a low carbon footprint. Only in groundwater fed areas is micro-irrigation a suitable irrigation technology for both improving irrigation efficiency and decreasing GHG emissions, in situations where the pumping head value allows it (Zou et al 2012).…”

Section: Influence Of Key Parameters On the Waterenergy Nexus Of Irrimentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-benefits and trade-offs in the water–energy nexus of irrigation modernization in China

Cremades

Rothausen

Conway

et al. 2016

Environ. Res. Lett.

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There are strong interdependencies between water use in agriculture and energy consumption as water saving technologies can require increased pumping and pressurizing. The Chinese Government includes water efficiency improvement and carbon intensity reduction targets in the 12th Five-Year Plan (5YP. 2011-2015, yet the links between energy use and irrigation modernization are not always addressed in policy targets. Here we build an original model of the energy embedded in water pumping for irrigated agriculture and its related processes. The model is based on the physical processes of irrigation schemes and the implication of technological developments, comprising all processes from extraction and conveyance of water to its application in the field. The model uses data from government sources to assess policy targets for deployment of irrigation technologies, which aim to reduce water application and contribute to adaptation of Chinese agriculture to climate change. The consequences of policy targets involve cobeneficial outcomes that achieve water and energy savings, or trade-offs in which reduced water application leads to increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We analyze irrigation efficiency and energy use in four significant provinces and nationally, using scenarios based on the targets of the 12th 5YP. At the national scale, we find that expansion of sprinklers and micro-irrigation as outlined in the 5YP would increase GHG emissions from agricultural water use, however, emissions decrease in those provinces with predominant groundwater use and planned expansion of low-pressure pipes. We show that the most costly technologies relate to trade-offs, while co-benefits are generally achieved with less expensive technologies. The investment cost per area of irrigation technology expansion does not greatly affect the outcome in terms of water, but in terms of energy the most expensive technologies are more energy-intensive and produce more emissions. The results show that water supply configuration (proportion of surface to groundwater) largely determines the potential energy savings from reductions in water application. The paper examines the importance of fertigation and highlights briefly some policy implications.

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How water saving irrigation contributes to climate change resilience—a case study of practices in China

Cited by 41 publications

References 45 publications

Integrated assessment of China’s agricultural vulnerability to climate change: a multi-indicator approach

Integrated assessment of China’s agricultural vulnerability to climate change: a multi-indicator approach

Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural irrigation in China

Co-benefits and trade-offs in the water–energy nexus of irrigation modernization in China

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