How can the efficient use of agricultural water resources be advanced?
China's agricultural water use efficiency is extremely low, causing much water resources to be wasted. In response to this problem, the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association submitted a proposal to this year's Two Sessions on vigorously promoting the efficient use of agricultural water resources in arid and semi-arid regions.
The proposal states that China's agricultural annual water consumption accounts for about 62% of total water use, with an even higher proportion in arid and semi-arid regions. For every 0.1 increase in the effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation, more than 30 billion cubic meters of water can be saved. The water-saving potential is enormous, and this is of important and far-reaching significance for alleviating the current contradiction between water supply and demand, developing eco-friendly agriculture, and safeguarding national food security.
According to a reporter from Futures Daily, four-fifths of China's water resources are in the south, but half the population and two-thirds of the farmland are in the north. Water shortages in some areas are extremely serious, and some areas have even reduced their winter wheat planting area in order to save water.
The Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association believes that there are currently some difficulties and problems in promoting the construction of efficient agricultural water-saving systems. First, there is considerable pressure to consolidate the achievements of efficient water-saving irrigation. Efficient water-saving irrigation projects are typical technology-intensive and capital-intensive projects, and it is very difficult to achieve sustainable development relying only on local governments and farmers themselves. Second, funding input channels are dispersed, lacking overall planning and coordination, and the comprehensive benefits are not ideal. Third, it is relatively difficult for major grain-producing areas to balance water conservation, grain security, and income growth. Taking Hebei Province, a major wheat-producing area, as an example, the main growing period for wheat in the province is in spring, which coincides with the dry season. Wheat production mainly relies on groundwater, which conflicts with the policy requirements for groundwater extraction reduction. Fourth, the work of summarizing and promoting efficient water-saving development experience from various places needs to be further advanced.
To further promote the development of efficient water-saving irrigation, the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association suggests: first, raise the level of understanding of the efficient use of agricultural water resources from the strategic height of national sustainable development; agricultural water use must follow the path of efficient water conservation; second, formulate and issue a national development plan for efficient water-saving irrigation; third, further increase fiscal investment; fourth, adopt measures tailored to local conditions to achieve water conservation, grain security, and income growth in major grain-producing areas.
The Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association also suggests in the proposal promoting the application of technological innovation and achievements in efficient agricultural water conservation, further summarizing and promoting the experience of land transfer and innovative large-scale modern agricultural operations, and further innovating management mechanisms, such as gradually advancing market-oriented reform. Through measures such as water rights trading and land transfer, make full use of market mechanisms to promote the rapid development of efficient agricultural water conservation. Starting from the division of water rights, determine water rights based on "land rights," determine the initial water rights of farmers within irrigation districts, use water rights trading centers as platforms, and take farmers' water user associations as the main body to carry out transactions in an organized manner. Establish and improve a reasonable mechanism for compensated transfer of water rights, and use the price lever to guide the whole of society in developing water-saving awareness.