Inter-Regional Food-Water-Income Synergy Through Bi-Level Crop Redistribution Model Coupled With Virtual Water: A Case Study of China’s Hetao Irrigation District
Jieling Yin, Xin Li, Bernie A. Engel, Jiayi Ding, Xin Xing, Shikun K. Sun, Yubao B. Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Incorporating water footprints and virtual water into crop redistribution provides a new approach for efficient water resources utilization and synergistic development of water surplus and scarce regions. In this work, the absolute and comparative advantage of the production-based blue and gray water footprint (PWFblue and PWFgray), the calorie-based blue water footprint (CWFblue) and the net benefit-based blue water footprint (NBWFblue) were used as coefficients to establish a bi-level crop redistribution model. The mode considers upper-level decision makers interested in maximizing food security and ecological security and lower-level decision makers interested in water use efficiency, water use benefits and net benefits. The model was applied in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. The results showed that after optimization, the PWFblue, CWFblue, NBWFblue, and gray water footprint (GWF) of the HID were reduced by 23.32%, 5.60%, 17.40%, and 6.67%, respectively. National benefits were improved, especially when considering synergistic optimization, although the net benefits of HID was affected. The calorie supply increased by 9.6 × 109 kcal, the GWF decreased by 8.29 × 106 m3, and water use efficiency and benefits were improved in China. In contrast, the calorie supply and the net benefits of the HID decreased, while the GWF increased. Moreover, multiple stakeholders were involved in crop redistribution and required national synergies. The bi-level model proved more suitable than the multi-objective model. The model proposed in this work considers synergies outside the region in crop redistribution within the region, and can provide new insight for water and soil resources management in arid and semi-arid regions.
期刊介绍:
Water Resources Research (WRR) is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on hydrology and water resources. It publishes original research in the natural and social sciences of water. It emphasizes the role of water in the Earth system, including physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes in water resources research and management, including social, policy, and public health implications. It encompasses observational, experimental, theoretical, analytical, numerical, and data-driven approaches that advance the science of water and its management. Submissions are evaluated for their novelty, accuracy, significance, and broader implications of the findings.