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By H. E. Mr. Wang Shucheng
Minister of Ministry of Water Resources, P. R. China
£¨March 2, 2005£©
Respected Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Water and food security are global issues vital to human existence and development. It is a pressing task shared by countries in the world to ensure food security with sustainable utilization of water resources. By hosting this Water Week and including ¡°Water for Food¡± as a special topic for discussion, the World Bank will promote countries all over the world to address the water issues and ensure food security.
I am delighted to take this opportunity to exchange with all the friends present here about the challenges that China faces in terms of ¡°Water for Food¡± and our line of thinking, related measures and progresses in this regard.
1. Food Is a Strategic Issue of Great Significance.
Food is a necessity for human existence and development. Access to sufficient food is a basic right that each and every human being is entitled to. Due to the existence of elements that have long frustrated world food security, the conflict between food supply and population growth has become increasingly intensive. As a significant strategic issue, food security attracts high attention from governments all over the world and the international community as a whole.
China is the most populous country that consumes the largest amount of food in the world. With socioeconomic development, population growth and improvement of people¡¯s livelihood, China will experience not only a increase in its demand for food but also higher demand in terms of food quality and stable access to food. Moreover, it is growingly difficult for China to upgrade its food output or reverse its diminishing trend of arable land resource. China is also frustrated by the increasing pressure of resource shortage (such as water shortage). Food security in China has always been a strategic issue to which the Chinese Government and society have attached great importance and the international community has paid high attention. How to ensure food security for the 1.3 billion population is critical to China¡¯s stability and development and of great importance to world food security.
It is the Chinese Government¡¯s solemn undertaking to the whole world that it will ensure food security in China. The fundamental guiding principles in this regard are the following: rely on domestic resources to achieve basic food self-sufficiency and maintain an approximate balance between food supply and demand; rely on protection and enhancement of comprehensive food productivity to steadily increase food output; rely on stimulating farmers for food production and effectively protecting interests of the farmers. Accordingly, we have adopted a series of measures in the water sector, i.e.,
l Always regard developing agriculture and addressing food security as the primary task, establish and improve the system for supporting and protecting agriculture;
l Practice the most vigorous arable land protection system so that the quality of arable land may be improved while capital farmland protection is reinforced;
l Motivate and protect enthusiasm of farmers for food production via promotion of rural reform;
l Strengthen development of infrastructure such as water conservancy measures for agriculture and protection of the ecology, and constantly improve agricultural production conditions to enhance the capability of preventing and combating natural disasters;
l Extend the application of advanced agricultural technologies and good crop varieties and exert great efforts to promote the transformation of traditional agriculture to modern agriculture;
l Improve the market system for food purchase and distribution, enhance market service and upgrade ability of farmers in preventing market risks;
l Insist upon development for poverty reduction, exert efforts to improve production and living conditions in poor areas, help farmers develop production and shake off poverty.
2. Challenges to Security of Water for Food in China
China¡¯s climatic, geographic and social conditions determine that water plays a vital role in ensuring food security in China. Water conservancy is the lifeline of agriculture. Chinese agriculture must take the path of developing irrigation agriculture. This is not only a summary of the Chinese people¡¯s practice over several thousand years but also the best conclusion of the relationship between water conservancy and agriculture and that between water and food.
Security of water for food production in China faces the following major challenges.
2.1. Food production is adversely affected by water shortage, uneven temporal and spatial distribution of water resources and the fact that water and soil resources do not match each other.
China is a country of water shortage and frequent floods and draughts. The per capita water resources of 2,200 m3 in China is far below the world average. Affected by the monsoon climate and topographic conditions, water resources are unevenly distributed both temporally and spatially. In most places, precipitation of the four wettest months takes up 70% of the local annual precipitation. As such, these localities tend to suffer from flood disasters during the flood season. On the other hand, south China is abundant in water while the north is short of water. River basins north to the Yangtze take up 64% of the national territory but only 19% of the national water resources. Water shortage is a prominent problem impeding economic development in north China. Natural disasters, especially draughts, exert major impacts on food production in China.
2.2. Increasing demand for industrial and urban water consumption has intensified shortage of water for food production
With accelerated industrialization and urbanization, and with improvement of people¡¯s livelihood, conflicts between agricultural and industrial, production and domestic, and production and ecological consumption of water are further intensified. Over the past two decades, China has witnessed rapid economic development, and continuous increase in aggregate quantity of national water consumption. With the additional water-supply capacity used up for industrial and urban consumption, there has been little increase in total water consumption for the purpose of agricultural irrigation. Instead, the proportion of agricultural irrigation in aggregate water consumption has kept declining, i.e., from 85% in 1980 to 65% at present. As industrial and urban water consumption encroaches upon agricultural irrigation water consumption, water available for agriculture irrigation has been reduced, intensifying the shortage of water for food production.
2.3. Poor infrastructure for agricultural irrigation and drainage combines with loose management of water consumption resulting in low efficiency of water use for food production and serious waste of water resources.
Most of irrigation schemes in China were developed in the 1950-60s. Constrained by economic and technological conditions at the time, some irrigation and drainage works were of low standard and incomplete supplementary facilities. After several decades¡¯ operation, a considerable number of works are obsolete and of diminishing returns, leading to poor water use efficiency for food production purpose. At present, national irrigation water use efficiency is 45% only while average moisture productivity of food crops is around 1.0kg/m3. There is a great potential for water saving.
2.4. Serious soil erosion and fragile ecology have affected sustainable food production.
Challenges to food production also come from serious soil erosion and the fragile eco-environment. Hitherto, China has not effectively controlled soil erosion, i.e., the phenomenon of soil destruction amidst erosion control still exists while nearly 2 million km2 of eroded areas are waiting for urgent response. Draught and excessive grazing have led to degradation and desertification of grassland. Excessive extraction of groundwater has become a serious problem in some regions, adversely affecting sustainable utilization of water resources. With limited access to electricity, farmers in remote mountainous areas cut large quantity of trees and firewood, which further intensifies soil erosion.
3. Line of Thinking and Measures Related to Water for Food Security in China
Agriculture irrigation enjoys a long history in China. Water for food production has always attracted high attention from the Chinese Government and society. The Chinese people have accumulated rich experience through their practices of water training for several thousand years. Over the recent years, in particular, we have made continuous experiments and exploration in face of the increasingly serious food security situation and challenges to water resources. On the basis of all these, we have gradually developed and improved the line of thinking and specific measures related to water for food security in China.
First of all, we insist upon all-round planning of water issues in accordance with the philosophy of harmonious co-existence between man and nature, i.e., take all related aspects into overall consideration, address problems by looking at both root causes and symptoms and implement comprehensive control measures. In water training, we focus on respect to rules of nature, and pay special attention to protecting water from human hazards while protecting human beings from water hazards. In addition to ensuring successful development, utilization and training of water resources, we also emphasize and reinforce the allocation, conservation and protection of water resources. With the production of a series of plans such as comprehensive water plans, flood-control plans, plans for water-saving agriculture and renovation of irrigation schemes, we aim at taking various water issues into overall consideration, balancing domestic, industrial, agricultural and ecological use of water and thereby optimizing the allocation of water resources. We also stress upon increased input into water conservancy and take a planned and step-by-step approach to address water issues.
Secondly, we promote the construction of a water-saving society on all fronts. We are increasingly aware that water resources are rare resources in China and that as such the most fundamental and effective strategic measure to address water shortage in China is to construct a water-saving society. The construction of a water-saving society is a reform of production relations, is institutional development and therefore is a profound revolution. In this regard, our purpose is to establish a water-resource management system based on the theories of water right and water market via institutional reform and development. Efforts shall be exerted to clarify initial water right, determine ¡°macro control targets¡± and ¡°micro quota indexes¡± of water resources, establish targets of water use right for particular regions, sectors, departments or even enterprises and define scientific water consumption quotas for production and service. The combination of all these will give rise to a water-saving mechanism supported by economic means that will help upgrade water use efficiency and effectiveness and promote coordinated development of the economy, resources and the environment. Agriculture is a major water user. To address agricultural water use, we must vigorously extend water-saving irrigation as a revolutionary measure. In a fairly long time to come, China¡¯s population will keep growing; so will the demand for food in China. Our target is that aggregate quantity of agricultural water use will no longer increase and that water demand for food security will be ensured mainly through agricultural water saving and enhancement of water use efficiency.
Thirdly, economic structures will be adjusted in accordance with conditions of water resources. Every region and river basin needs to consider the objective carrying capacity of water resources and water environment. Our task is to take the overall situation into consideration and to scientifically plan the layout of socioeconomic development in accordance with specific situations of water resources in a particular locality or region. Different economic structures will be tailored for areas that are abundant or tight in water resources. Thus, the traditional ¡°determine supply in accordance with demand¡± will be transformed to ¡°defining demand according to supply¡±. With development patterns tailored to the water situation, we will promote coordination of resource utilization and socioeconomic development.
Fourthly, water conservancy works will be further developed to upgrade the ability of regulating and controlling water resources temporally and spatially and to realize the proactive role of irrigation schemes in food production. To address uneven temporal and spatial distribution of water resources in China, we must build the requisite transfer and control works to increase water supply. Water-transfer projects already in progress such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project are strategic measures for mitigating water shortage and eco-environmental deterioration in north China. As more than half of arable land is situated in arid or semi-arid areas, irrigation exerts vast impact on food production in China. To increase its food productivity, China must develop and renovate its irrigation schemes for improvement of agricultural production conditions in such areas. With regard to completed irrigation schemes, the measures are as follows: implement water-saving and renovation-oriented measures to renew, renovate, re-develop and supplement irrigation schemes, carry out institutional reform of irrigation schemes which focuses on water-user participation and management and upgrade irrigation water use efficiency. In areas of good headwater conditions, efforts shall be made to combine with the construction of key water control works for rational development of new irrigation schemes and further expansion of irrigated area. For localities where normal irrigation conditions are absent, a variety of ways will be adopted to collect and store rainwater for rational utilization of all kinds of piecemeal headwater and the subsequent enhanced ability of combating draughts.
Fifthly, we regard efforts to address water issues as the precursor to closely integrate water management, food production, poverty eradication and eco-protection. We emphasize the close relationship between ecology and water resources. Specifically, we restore river basins with serious ecological problems by means of water saving, pollution control and water transfer. We nourish wetland with water and protect wetland as planned. In areas where groundwater has been excessively extracted, we protect groundwater by ways such as well sealing and restricting extraction. For ecologically fragile localities such as those suffering from soil erosion, attention is paid to tapping nature¡¯s self-restoring capacity and implementing practices such as ¡°food for green¡± and enclosing mountains to forbid grazing and firewood cutting. At the same time, we address issues faced by inhabitants of eco-restoring areas such as food security, economic development and poverty reduction, so that we will create the requisite conditions for natural restoration. At the middle reach of Yellow River that suffers from serious soil erosion, polder dams are constructed to intercept silt, sediment the land for food production and develop local economy. In grazing areas, efforts are devoted to improving water conservancy, developing irrigated land for growing fodder grass, and implementing practices such as grazing ban, rotation grazing and hallow grazing on natural grassland so as to protect and restore such grassland. In mountainous areas rich in water resources, small hydropower is developed proactively so that farmers will have easy access to requisite energies and thereby reduce the cutting of trees.
4. Major Progress
After more than half a century¡¯s efforts, especially the recent two decades¡¯ efforts since the initiation of the reform policy, Food productivity has been greatly enhanced in China while its food output has achieved significant growth. Between 1996 and 1999, annual aggregate food output reached or approached 500 million tons for four consecutive years; per capita output exceeded 400kg; food inventory achieved remarkable increase. After 2000, due to structural adjustment and reduction in arable land, food output decreased for consecutive years with considerable gap between food output and demand appearing in 2003. However, thanks to sufficient food inventory, food security was still ensured in China in 2003.
In 2004, the Chinese Government adopted relevant measures to recover and develop food production. Within the year, food production took a turn for the better. With significant increase in output, aggregate food yield in 2004 reached 469.45 million tons, an increase of 38.75 million tons over that in 2003. These facts have proven that China has developed the capacity for self-solution of its own food security problem.
Currently, per capita food possession and absorption of energy and protein per person per day in China have both reached the world averages. As such, China has achieved the historical transformation from chronic shortage in the supply of agricultural products such as food to a basic balance between aggregate supply and demand plus surplus in harvest years. China has created the miracle of feeding 22% of the world population with 6% of the world¡¯s renewable water resources and 9% of the world¡¯s arable land. For the recent 20 years, China has provided adequate food and clothing to over 200 million poverty population in rural areas. In this regard, the water sector has made indelible contribution.
To begin with, after several decades¡¯ development of water conservancy, a fairly complete system of water conservancy works for mitigating disasters and ensuring benefits has taken shape in China while irrigation and drainage programs have achieved rapid development. Nationwide, China has achieved annual water supply capacity of 580 billion m3. Irrigated farmland in China extends 56 million hectares while water-saving irrigation scheme has reached 21 million hectares, taking up 45% and 17% respectively of total arable land in China. Although per capita arable land in China is only 30% of the world average, the per capita irrigated area basically equals the world average. Furthermore, the irrigated area in China (taking up 45% of national arable land) produces 75% of the national food output and 90% of the national cash crops. Irrigation schemes have become the ¡°main force¡± of food production in China and major assurance for China¡¯s food security.
Secondly, China has kept upgrading its agricultural irrigation water use efficiency. With the adoption of various measures over the recent 10 years, irrigation water use efficiency nationwide has been improved by around 10%, giving rise to annual water-saving capacity of over 30 billion m3. High irrigation assurance rate, on the other hand, has promoted the development of high-quality, high-efficiency and high-tech modern agriculture and led to continuous increase in agricultural output, i.e., additional integrated food productivity has exceeded 30 billion kg. It is through improvement of water use efficiency that food production in China has achieved rapid development for the recent 20 years whereas there has been virtually no increase in the aggregate quantity of agricultural water use during the same period.
Thirdly, high attention has been attached to eco-environmental problems. Over the recent years, China has carried out a series of measures to restore the ecology and protect the environment. Each year, in the over 100,000 km2 ecologically fragile areas that suffer from soil erosion, measures for enclosure, cultivation and protection are adopted such as food for green, enclosing mountains for green purpose and banning grazing activities. Each year over 50,000 km2 of soil-eroded areas are brought under control through human efforts. Localities caught in severe ecological deterioration at the lower reaches of the Talimu River and the Black River have been restored to their previous ecology. Groundwater in many areas is protected. Thus, China has achieved preliminary results in protecting, restoring and improving the eco-environment. This has built up our confidence in achieving the win-win situation of economic development and eco-environmental improvement and further consolidated the foundation for ensuring food security in China.
Fourthly, we have enhanced institutional development by realizing the respective roles of the government, the market and the society. In terms of training water by law, China has promulgated and implemented the Water Law, the Law on Flood Control, the Law on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution and the Law on Water and Soil Conservation. With such a framework of water-related laws and regulations, China is able to regulate various water activities. At the same time, on the basis of technological progress, China has improved its water conservancy development and water-resource management with focus placed on informatization of the water sector and public participation. In irrigation schemes, farmers¡¯ water user associations have been established to promote structural reform of the management systems in irrigation schemes with water-user participation. The public hearing system is practiced in water pricing so as to ensure that all stakeholders extensively participate in water governance.
Despite the enormous achievements made in addressing water issues and ensuring food security in China, problems related to water resources such as floods, draughts, water shortage, water pollution and soil erosion are far from being solved. We have arduous tasks to fulfill and many difficulties to overcome. In terms of establishing the concepts of conserving resources, protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development, we have a long way to go. By 2020, the population of China will increase to about 1.45 billion while the gross domestic production (GDP) will double that in 2000. By that time, the supply-demand conflicts of resources such as water, land and energies will become even more intensive, while the environment will face further pressures.
In response to the challenges and problems faced by water resources in China, the water sector has also highlighted the importance of the following aspects.
l To ensure safety of human drinking water is the primary task for the water sector for some time in the future. The focus in this regard is to ensure safety of drinking water by successfully addressing poor quality of drinking water due to natural causes and man-made pollution as well as the serious shortage of drinking water in some localities.
l Efforts should be exerted to maintain healthy life of rivers. While realizing the functions of the rivers, we will effectively protect them so that they will genuinely benefit mankind.
l High attention will be paid to ecological problems brought along by the development of water conservancy and hydropower constructions. In particular, the issue of resettlement in project construction should be appropriately addressed while earnest efforts should be exerted to eliminate adverse impacts of water conservancy works on the eco-environment.
In face with the long way to go in terms of addressing water issues in China, we find it imperative to explore new approaches and make persistent efforts in accordance with the requirements of sustainable development. It is also necessary for us to boost exchanges and cooperation with countries and international organizations all over the world. We are confident that we will be able to address water issues and ensure food security in China.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
China has long carried out successful cooperation with the World Bank in the fields of agriculture and water resources. As one of the world¡¯s most influential international financial institutions, the World Bank is the major source of international finance for China¡¯s water projects. Since 1982, the water sector has completed 21 World Bank loan projects with loan proceeds totaling USD4.275 billion. At present, we have 5 World Bank loan projects in progress with loans totaling USD 648 million. These projects involve many aspects including flood control and disaster mitigation, irrigation, water supply, hydropower generation, water and soil conservation and protection of the water environment. The Chinese Government has attached great importance to these projects, and the successful implementation of which has brought enormous economic returns and social benefits. As such, the World Bank projects have played a significant role in addressing water issues and ensuring food security in China. Last year, ¡°Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project¡± won the World Bank President¡¯s Award for Distinctive Achievement and has become ¡°a banner¡± of World Bank agricultural projects. Hereby, on behalf of the Chinese Government, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the World Bank for its long-term support and help to China. I sincerely hope that the World Bank, other international institutions and countries will continue to help China along in such fields as renovation of irrigation schemes, development and protection of water resources, water and soil conservation and flood control.
In September this year, the19th International Congress of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) will convene in Beijing. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely invite all of you to the grand gathering in Beijing by that time.
Thank you.
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