IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i12p4561-d187392.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inter-Regional Coordination to Improve Equality in the Agricultural Virtual Water Trade

Author

Listed:
  • Dong Yan

    (School of Hydropower and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Zhiwei Jia

    (School of Hydropower and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Jie Xue

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele 848300, China)

  • Huaiwei Sun

    (School of Hydropower and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Dongwei Gui

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele 848300, China)

  • Yi Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele 848300, China)

  • Xiaofan Zeng

    (School of Hydropower and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture in China is threatened by rapid socioeconomic development, urbanization, and climate change. In addition, the distribution of freshwater resources between regions is highly unequal, and water shortages are common in arid regions. The virtual water trade can help to ease water shortages in arid areas by utilizing the comparative advantage of water resources in other areas. However, sometimes the patterns of the virtual water trade do not fit the distribution of water resources and, in these instances, inter-regional coordination would help to improve the level of equality in the virtual water trade. We combined the concept of the Gini coefficient with a multi-objective optimization model to investigate the inter-regional coordination of the virtual water trade in an arid region of China. Agricultural data from different regions of Gansu Province in 2014 were used to explore methods of improving the equality of virtual water flow patterns in the agricultural sector. Three constraints (a crop supply constraint, an irrigation water constraint, and an economic benefit constraint) were set up to investigate the relationship between different challenges and the effects of inter-regional coordination. Our results validated the use of the proposed method in Gansu Province and indicated that it could be applied to other arid regions. Variations in crop supply, irrigation water, and economic benefits were found among the different constraint scenarios, illustrating the trade-offs between water-saving and agricultural objectives. Our results also showed the balance between various factors, including the equality of the virtual water patterns, water-saving measures, and economic benefits. These results support the effectiveness of inter-regional coordination and indicate that the improvement in equality and the adjustment cost should be balanced. Our findings will help to guide the planning of local crop acreages to achieve the best virtual water balance model between regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Dong Yan & Zhiwei Jia & Jie Xue & Huaiwei Sun & Dongwei Gui & Yi Liu & Xiaofan Zeng, 2018. "Inter-Regional Coordination to Improve Equality in the Agricultural Virtual Water Trade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4561-:d:187392
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4561/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4561/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jing Liu & Xinchun Cao & Binquan Li & Zhongbo Yu, 2018. "Analysis of Blue and Green Water Consumption at the Irrigation District Scale," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Xiaoling Su & Jianfang Li & Vijay Singh, 2014. "Optimal Allocation of Agricultural Water Resources Based on Virtual Water Subdivision in Shiyang River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(8), pages 2243-2257, June.
    3. M. Kumar & O. Singh, 2005. "Virtual Water in Global Food and Water Policy Making: Is There a Need for Rethinking?," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 19(6), pages 759-789, December.
    4. S. Brown & H. Schreier & L. Lavkulich, 2009. "Incorporating Virtual Water into Water Management: A British Columbia Example," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(13), pages 2681-2696, October.
    5. Pilar Montesinos & Emilio Camacho & Blanca Campos & Juan Rodríguez-Díaz, 2011. "Analysis of Virtual Irrigation Water. Application to Water Resources Management in a Mediterranean River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(6), pages 1635-1651, April.
    6. Duarte, Rosa & Pinilla, Vicente & Serrano, Ana, 2014. "The effect of globalisation on water consumption: A case study of the Spanish virtual water trade, 1849–1935," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 96-105.
    7. Druckman, A. & Jackson, T., 2008. "Measuring resource inequalities: The concepts and methodology for an area-based Gini coefficient," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 242-252, April.
    8. Fracasso, Andrea, 2014. "A gravity model of virtual water trade," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 215-228.
    9. Fatemeh Karandish & Samira Salari & Abdullah Darzi-Naftchali, 2015. "Application of Virtual Water Trade to Evaluate Cropping Pattern in Arid Regions," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(11), pages 4061-4074, September.
    10. Bingzhen Du & Lin Zhen & Rudolf De Groot & Xin Long & Xiaochang Cao & Ruizi Wu & Chuanzhun Sun & Chao Wang, 2015. "Changing Food Consumption Patterns and Impact on Water Resources in the Fragile Grassland of Northern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-20, May.
    11. Miina Porkka & Matti Kummu & Stefan Siebert & Martina Flörke, 2012. "The Role of Virtual Water Flows in Physical Water Scarcity: The Case of Central Asia," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 453-474.
    12. Atkinson, Anthony B., 1970. "On the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 244-263, September.
    13. Dongchun Ma & Chaofan Xian & Jing Zhang & Ruochen Zhang & Zhiyun Ouyang, 2015. "The Evaluation of Water Footprints and Sustainable Water Utilization in Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-16, September.
    14. Wichelns, Dennis, 2001. "The role of `virtual water' in efforts to achieve food security and other national goals, with an example from Egypt," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 131-151, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2023. "A Systematic Review of Agricultural Sustainability Indicators," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Xiangang Luo & Jianqing Li & Shuang Zhu & Zhanya Xu & Zhibin Huo, 2020. "Estimating the Impacts of Urbanization in the Next 100 years on Spatial Hydrological Response," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 34(5), pages 1673-1692, March.
    3. Jin Kathrine Fosli & A. Amarender Reddy & Radhika Rani, 2021. "The Policy of Free Electricity to Agriculture Sector: Implications and Perspectives of the Stakeholders in India," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 6(2), pages 252-269, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fu, YiCheng & Zhao, Jinyong & Wang, Chengli & Peng, Wenqi & Wang, Qi & Zhang, Chunling, 2018. "The virtual Water flow of crops between intraregional and interregional in mainland China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 204-213.
    2. María Jesús Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2011. "Del metabolismo social al metabolismo hídrico," Documentos de Trabajo de la Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España 01_2011, Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España.
    3. Marta Antonelli & Martina Sartori, 2014. "Unfolding the Potential of the Virtual Water Concept. What is still under debate?," IEFE Working Papers 74, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    4. Dennis Wichelns, 2010. "Virtual Water: A Helpful Perspective, but not a Sufficient Policy Criterion," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(10), pages 2203-2219, August.
    5. Alaa El-Sadek, 2010. "Virtual Water Trade as a Solution for Water Scarcity in Egypt," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(11), pages 2437-2448, September.
    6. Guangyao Deng & Liujuan Wang & Yanan Song, 2015. "Effect of Variation of Water-Use Efficiency on Structure of Virtual Water Trade - Analysis Based on Input–Output Model," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(8), pages 2947-2965, June.
    7. S. Brown & H. Schreier & L. Lavkulich, 2009. "Incorporating Virtual Water into Water Management: A British Columbia Example," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(13), pages 2681-2696, October.
    8. Fracasso, Andrea & Sartori, Martina & Schiavo, Stefano, 2014. "Determinants of virtual water flows in the Mediterranean," MPRA Paper 60500, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Overland, Indra & Juraev, Javlon & Vakulchuk, Roman, 2022. "Are renewable energy sources more evenly distributed than fossil fuels?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 379-386.
    10. Hmaed Najafi Alamdarlo & Fariba Riyahi & Mohamad Hasan Vakilpoor, 2019. "Wheat Self-Sufficiency, Water Restriction and Virtual Water Trade in Iran," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 503-520, June.
    11. Xia, Wenjun & Chen, Xiaohong & Song, Chao & Pérez-Carrera, Alejo, 2022. "Driving factors of virtual water in international grain trade: A study for belt and road countries," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    12. Bouvier, Rachel, 2014. "Distribution of income and toxic emissions in Maine, United States: Inequality in two dimensions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 39-47.
    13. Greselin, Francesca & Zitikis, Ricardas, 2015. "Measuring economic inequality and risk: a unifying approach based on personal gambles, societal preferences and references," MPRA Paper 65892, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Hellinton H. Takada & Celma O. Ribeiro & Oswaldo L. V. Costa & Julio M. Stern, 2020. "Gini and Entropy-Based Spread Indexes for Primary Energy Consumption Efficiency and CO 2 Emission," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-17, September.
    15. Maria J. Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2015. "The Political Ecology of Virtual Water in Southern Spain," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 1020-1036, September.
    16. Candau, Fabien & Regnacq, Charles & Schlick, Julie, 2022. "Climate change, comparative advantage and the water capability to produce agricultural goods," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    17. Boyce, James K. & Zwickl, Klara & Ash, Michael, 2016. "Measuring environmental inequality," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 114-123.
    18. Esther Velázquez & Cristina Madrid & María Beltrán, 2011. "Rethinking the Concepts of Virtual Water and Water Footprint in Relation to the Production–Consumption Binomial and the Water–Energy Nexus," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(2), pages 743-761, January.
    19. Sun, J.X. & Yin, Y.L. & Sun, S.K. & Wang, Y.B. & Yu, X. & Yan, K., 2021. "Review on research status of virtual water: The perspective of accounting methods, impact assessment and limitations," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    20. Jorge A. Bonilla & Claudia Aravena & Ricardo Morales-Betancourt, 2023. "Assessing Multiple Inequalities and Air Pollution Abatement Policies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(3), pages 695-727, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4561-:d:187392. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.