IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i21p6179-d283835.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Sustainability Assessment of Five Major Food Crops’ Water Footprints in China from 1978 to 2010

Author

Listed:
  • Yuanhong Tian

    (School of Social Science, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201602, China
    Institution of Sustainability Development and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Matthias Ruth

    (Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Department of Economics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G7, Canada)

  • Dajian Zhu

    (Institution of Sustainability Development and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
    School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Jinfeng Ding

    (Joint Center for Urban Studies between Oxford University and China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, Shanghai 201204, China)

  • Nicholas Morris

    (Joint Center for Urban Studies between Oxford University and China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, Shanghai 201204, China
    School of Law, University of New South Wales, 2052 Sydney, Australia)

Abstract

Rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, and sorghum are the five major crops in China, which account for 92% of the country’s total grain production and 33% of its water consumption. Combining water footprint analysis tools with sustainability assessment tools, the water sustainability of the five major crops can be analyzed. Based on ecological economics theory, this paper constructs a sustainability evaluation system of China’s five major crops’ water footprints and analyzes the national and provincial diversity of the sustainability of the five major crops’ water footprints using three dimensions: scale, distribution, and equity. We find that the interprovincial distribution equity sustainability divergence is the key bottleneck factor that restricts sustainability (more than scale and configuration). One key strategy is to arrange grain production at the national level, on the basis of considering the differences of water-resource endowment between different provinces to break through the bottleneck of the water-resource distribution sustainability of these five major food crops. This paper determines a general management model that can improve the sustainability of water resource management at the interprovincial level by comparing and analyzing the most sustainable and least sustainable provinces for the water footprint production of these five major crops.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanhong Tian & Matthias Ruth & Dajian Zhu & Jinfeng Ding & Nicholas Morris, 2019. "A Sustainability Assessment of Five Major Food Crops’ Water Footprints in China from 1978 to 2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-20, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6179-:d:283835
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/6179/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/21/6179/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Büyüközkan, Gülçin & Karabulut, Yağmur, 2017. "Energy project performance evaluation with sustainability perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 549-560.
    2. Carlo Carraro & Lorenza Campagnolo & Fabio Eboli & Elisa Lanzi & Ramiro Parrado & Elisa Portale, 2012. "Quantifying Sustainability: A New Approach and World Ranking," Working Papers 2012.94, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. Mikel Perales Jarillo & Luis Pedraza & Pablo Moreno Ger & Elvira Bocos, 2019. "Challenges of Online Higher Education in the Face of the Sustainability Objectives of the United Nations: Carbon Footprint, Accessibility and Social Inclusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-15, October.
    4. Wang, Lizhong & Fang, Liping & Hipel, Keith W., 2008. "Basin-wide cooperative water resources allocation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 190(3), pages 798-817, November.
    5. Joachim H. Spangenberg, 2004. "Reconciling sustainability and growth: criteria, indicators, policies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(2), pages 74-86.
    6. Yuanhong Tian & Matthias Ruth & Dajian Zhu, 2017. "Using the IPAT identity and decoupling analysis to estimate water footprint variations for five major food crops in China from 1978 to 2010," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 2355-2375, December.
    7. Zhang, Chao & Chen, Wei-Qiang & Liu, Gang & Zhu, Da-Jian, 2017. "Economic Growth and the Evolution of Material Cycles: An Analytical Framework Integrating Material Flow and Stock Indicators," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 265-274.
    8. Daly, Herman E., 1998. "The return of Lauderdale's paradox," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 21-23, April.
    9. Zhang, Chao & Anadon, Laura Diaz, 2014. "A multi-regional input–output analysis of domestic virtual water trade and provincial water footprint in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 159-172.
    10. David Gustafson & Alona Gutman & Whitney Leet & Adam Drewnowski & Jessica Fanzo & John Ingram, 2016. "Seven Food System Metrics of Sustainable Nutrition Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-17, February.
    11. Zhao, X. & Tillotson, M.R. & Liu, Y.W. & Guo, W. & Yang, A.H. & Li, Y.F., 2017. "Index decomposition analysis of urban crop water footprint," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 348(C), pages 25-32.
    12. Wiedmann, Thomas & Lenzen, Manfred & Turner, Karen & Barrett, John, 2007. "Examining the global environmental impact of regional consumption activities -- Part 2: Review of input-output models for the assessment of environmental impacts embodied in trade," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 15-26, February.
    13. van Halsema, Gerardo E. & Vincent, Linden, 2012. "Efficiency and productivity terms for water management: A matter of contextual relativism versus general absolutism," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 9-15.
    14. Călin Gurău & Ashok Ranchhod, 2016. "The futures of genetically-modified foods: Global threat or panacea?," Post-Print hal-02012309, HAL.
    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. Guojing Li & Xinru Han & Qiyou Luo & Wenbo Zhu & Jing Zhao, 2021. "A Study on the Relationship between Income Change and the Water Footprint of Food Consumption in Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.

    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. Changfeng Shi & Hang Yuan & Qinghua Pang & Yangyang Zhang, 2020. "Research on the Decoupling of Water Resources Utilization and Agricultural Economic Development in Gansu Province from the Perspective of Water Footprint," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Xueting Zhao, 2014. "China's Inter-regional Trade of Virtual Water: a Multi-regional Input-output Modeling," Working Papers Working Paper 2014-04, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    3. Liu, Qiaoling & Wang, Qi, 2015. "Reexamine SO2 emissions embodied in China's exports using multiregional input–output analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 39-50.
    4. Guojing Li & Xinru Han & Qiyou Luo & Wenbo Zhu & Jing Zhao, 2021. "A Study on the Relationship between Income Change and the Water Footprint of Food Consumption in Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Hao, Yan & Zhang, Menghui & Zhang, Yan & Fu, Chenling & Lu, Zhongming, 2018. "Multi-scale analysis of the energy metabolic processes in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) urban agglomeration," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 369(C), pages 66-76.
    6. Zheng, Hongmei & Li, Aimin & Meng, Fanxin & Liu, Gengyuan, 2020. "Energy flows embodied in China's interregional trade: Case study of Hebei Province," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 428(C).
    7. Saida Elfkih & Olfa Hadiji & Saker Ben Abdallah & Olfa Boussadia, 2023. "Water Accounting for Food Security: Virtual Water and Water Productivity in the Case of Tunisian Olive Oil Value Chain," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Rehkamp, Sarah & Canning, Patrick, 2018. "Measuring Embodied Blue Water in American Diets: An EIO Supply Chain Approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 179-188.
    9. Ehsan Qasemipour & Farhad Tarahomi & Markus Pahlow & Seyed Saeed Malek Sadati & Ali Abbasi, 2020. "Assessment of Virtual Water Flows in Iran Using a Multi-Regional Input-Output Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Levitt, Clinton J. & Pedersen, Morten S. & Sørensen, Anders, 2015. "Examining the efforts of a small, open economy to reduce carbon emissions: The case of Denmark," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 94-106.
    11. 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.
    12. Hu, Zhineng & Chen, Yazhen & Yao, Liming & Wei, Changting & Li, Chaozhi, 2016. "Optimal allocation of regional water resources: From a perspective of equity–efficiency tradeoff," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 102-113.
    13. Arik Levinson, 2009. "Technology, International Trade, and Pollution from US Manufacturing," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(5), pages 2177-2192, December.
    14. Kucukvar, Murat & Haider, Muhammad Ali & Onat, Nuri Cihat, 2017. "Exploring the material footprints of national electricity production scenarios until 2050: The case for Turkey and UK," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 251-263.
    15. Yang, Honghua & Ma, Linwei & Li, Zheng, 2023. "Tracing China's steel use from steel flows in the production system to steel footprints in the consumption system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    16. Ehsan Qasemipour & Ali Abbasi & Farhad Tarahomi, 2020. "Water-Saving Scenarios Based on Input–Output Analysis and Virtual Water Concept: A Case in Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, January.
    17. L. Oosterhout & E. Koks & P. Beukering & S. Schep & T. Tiggeloven & S. Manen & M. Knaap & C. Duinmeijer & S. L. Buijs, 2023. "An Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Implications on Bonaire," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 147-178, July.
    18. Karsu, Özlem & Morton, Alec, 2015. "Inequity averse optimization in operational research," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 245(2), pages 343-359.
    19. Zhang, Yan & Zheng, Hongmei & Yang, Zhifeng & Su, Meirong & Liu, Gengyuan & Li, Yanxian, 2015. "Multi-regional input–output model and ecological network analysis for regional embodied energy accounting in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 651-663.
    20. Li Li & John Robert Bautista, 2019. "Examining Personal and Media Factors Associated with Attitude towards Genetically Modified Foods among University Students in Kunming, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-14, November.

    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:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6179-:d:283835. 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.