Make up the shortcomings in farmland water conservancy construction to support the development of modern agriculture

By the end of 2015, China had developed 988 million mu of effectively irrigated farmland, and grain produced on this land accounted for about 75% of the national total output, while cash crops accounted for more than 90%. Although China's farmland water conservancy development has achieved great results, there is still a considerable gap compared with the requirements of developing modern agriculture, safeguarding national food security, and supporting increases in farmers' incomes. Problems such as insufficient, incomplete, aging, and poorly maintained irrigation and drainage facilities, and low standards still exist. Project construction and management are disconnected, management methods are backward, and the lag in farmland water conservancy construction remains the biggest constraint on the stable development of agriculture and national food security.

The primary task of modern agriculture is to safeguard national food security, and irrigation and drainage projects are the most important infrastructure. Good irrigation and drainage infrastructure conditions are a necessary condition for resisting natural disasters, greatly reducing agricultural costs, and improving agricultural production efficiency. Only with unimpeded irrigation and drainage can the requirements for crop diversification, especially the planting requirements of high-value-added crops, be met, and can the requirement for increasing the multiple cropping index of crops be met, so that agricultural structural adjustment has greater room for maneuver. To implement the National Plan for Agricultural Modernization (2016-2020), it is necessary to follow the central government's water conservancy work guideline for the new period of "prioritizing water conservation, balanced spatial distribution, systematic governance, and exerting efforts from both hands," promote farmland water conservancy construction on a large scale, accelerate the modernization transformation of farmland water conservancy infrastructure and the reform of management systems and mechanisms, strive to build a farmland water conservancy support system with sound projects, efficient water use, complete systems, and flexible mechanisms, and make up the shortcomings in modern agricultural development.

Accelerate the construction of a fully supporting irrigation and drainage project system. By 2020, the tasks of continued supporting construction and water-saving renovation of large irrigation districts and key medium-sized irrigation districts should be basically completed, and modernization transformation of large and medium-sized irrigation districts should be implemented. In conjunction with the implementation of the national plan for adding 100 billion jin of grain production capacity, in areas with adequate soil and water resource conditions, build a number of new irrigation districts and increase effectively irrigated farmland by about 30 million mu. Complete the renewal and transformation of large and medium-sized irrigation and drainage pumping stations, strengthen governance in areas with severe waterlogging and water damage, and improve the irrigation and drainage system. Strengthen field project supporting facilities in large and medium-sized irrigation districts, and promote the construction of high-standard farmland that ensures stable yields despite drought or excessive rain. Accelerate the construction of small and medium-sized farmland water conservancy projects. In conjunction with poverty alleviation, give priority support to the construction of "five small water conservancy" projects such as small water cellars, small water ponds, small ponds and dams, small pumping stations, and small water canals in old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas, border areas, and poverty-stricken areas. In conjunction with the adjustment of agricultural planting structure, strengthen water source project construction and improve irrigation and drainage conditions.

Vigorously develop efficient water-saving irrigation. Over the past 20 years, while the total amount of irrigation water used has basically not increased, the effectively irrigated area increased by 230 million mu, and the irrigation guarantee rate rose significantly, mainly relying on water-saving renovation of irrigation districts and large-scale development of water-saving irrigation. In the next few years, moderately increasing the effectively irrigated area and raising the irrigation guarantee rate, thereby improving comprehensive agricultural production capacity and meeting the requirements of crop planting structure adjustment and increasing the multiple cropping index, will all require additional irrigation water. While accelerating the pace of water-saving renovation of irrigation and drainage project facilities in large and medium-sized irrigation districts, adopt suitable water-saving irrigation technologies and measures according to local conditions, and in areas short of water resources, ecologically fragile areas, and major grain-producing areas, promote efficient water-saving irrigation technologies in concentrated, contiguous, and large-scale ways. In the northwest region and hilly areas, in conjunction with poverty alleviation, develop small and micro water-saving irrigation systems according to local conditions. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, 140 million mu of water-saving irrigation project area should be added, including 100 million mu of efficient water-saving irrigation area; the effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation water should be raised to above 0.55, and the total amount of farmland irrigation water should be controlled within 372 billion cubic meters. By vigorously developing efficient water-saving irrigation technologies such as sprinkler irrigation and micro-irrigation, significantly improve labor productivity, promote integrated management of "water, fertilizer, and pesticide," and provide strong support for advancing moderate-scale agricultural operations and promoting agricultural supply-side reform.

Deepen the reform of the farmland water conservancy management system. Actively expand investment channels for farmland water conservancy and establish a diversified investment mechanism for farmland water conservancy. Vigorously promote the reform of the property rights system for small farmland water conservancy facilities, and effectively implement management entities and management and protection measures. Deepen the comprehensive reform of agricultural water pricing, combine project renovation, management system reform, and water price reform, build mechanisms first and projects afterward, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of village and group collectives and farmers' water user cooperative organizations. Strengthen the capacity building of farmers' water user cooperative organizations, and encourage farmers' water user cooperative organizations to unite or integrate with farmers' professional cooperatives. Strengthen the building of professional management teams, strive to improve management levels, and adapt as soon as possible to the requirements of agricultural modernization development for water conservancy project management. Establish a working mechanism for positive interaction between water conservancy and agriculture and an incentive mechanism for efficient water use, and cultivate skilled growers and farmers' water user cooperative organizations into scientific and technological leaders in the promotion of water-saving irrigation technologies. Strengthen the scientific management of irrigation water use, strictly control the total amount of irrigation water resources and quota management, gradually improve the irrigation water measurement system, strengthen capacity building for monitoring irrigation water quantity and irrigation water quality, promote the sustainable utilization of water resources, and safeguard the development of agricultural modernization.