Xinhua News Agency: Strong foundation of agricultural lifeblood: vigorously implement water-saving project

Release time:2017-02-13 Views:149

Xinhua News Agency reporter Hou Xuejing and Wang Libin


The central No. 1 document proposes to implement large-scale agricultural water-saving projects. Take agricultural water conservation as a directional and strategic event, and speed up the improvement of the national support for agricultural water conservation policy system.


What is the significance of agricultural water-saving for promoting agricultural supply-side structural reform? What are some concrete measures for improving agricultural water-saving system and implementing agricultural water-saving project? Reporters recently interviewed relevant experts and ministries on relevant issues.


The urgent need for water security and food security


One of the main tasks of promoting supply-side structural reform in agriculture is to promote green production methods and enhance the capacity for sustainable development of agriculture, of which water is a major and key issue.


Yan Guanyu, deputy director of the China Irrigation and Drainage Development Center, said that large-scale agricultural water-saving projects and agricultural water-saving as a directional, strategic event are urgent requirements to ensure water security and food security.


'In the future, the water-use structure based on agriculture will exist for a long time,' Mr. Yan said. 'There will be no fundamental change in the fundamentals that irrigation is a major user of water.' Under the conditions of increasingly severe constraints on water and soil resources, the most urgent and effective way to ensure the water demand of national water security and food security is to save water. Through the large-scale implementation of agricultural water-saving projects, the transformation of farmland water conservancy from improving water supply capacity to paying more attention to improving water saving capacity is promoted.


In the future, agriculture will shift from relying too much on resource consumption and mainly satisfying "quantity" needs to pursuing green, ecological and sustainable development and paying more attention to "quality" needs, Yan said.


In this regard, China will speed up the construction of supporting facilities and water-saving renovation of key irrigation and drainage projects, and vigorously popularize advanced water-saving technologies such as sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation and pipeline irrigation, so as to realize timely, appropriate, precise and scientific irrigation.


By promoting water conservation in agriculture, a series of comprehensive benefits such as land saving, energy saving, emission reduction, production increase, efficiency increase and income increase can also be achieved, effectively improving crop quality, reducing agricultural production costs and enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural products.


Five major measures to improve the agricultural water-saving system


The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources that there are five major measures to improve the agricultural water-saving system and deepen the reform of the system and mechanism to implement the large-scale agricultural water-saving project proposed by the central government:


First, we will improve the support system for water-saving policies. We will accelerate the distribution of water rights, the reform of water prices, and the trading of water rights, improve the mechanism for rewarding and punishing water conservation, and form a mechanism for encouraging and forcing water conservation policies. Financial support for agricultural water-saving at all levels has been continuously increased.


Second, we will improve the system of water-saving projects. We will speed up the construction of supporting facilities for key irrigation and drainage projects and the upgrading of water-saving systems, modernize irrigation areas, and strengthen the construction of small irrigation and water conservancy projects. We will plan to build a number of major high-efficiency water-saving irrigation demonstration projects in suitable areas.


Third, we will improve the water-saving support system. We will strengthen basic research, research and development, innovation, integration and popularization of agricultural water-saving technologies and equipment.


Fourth, improve the system of water-saving management. We should implement total irrigation water control and quota management, strengthen the construction of metering facilities and the application of information means, and strengthen the restraint, supervision and assessment of water use efficiency.


Fifth, we will improve the management and protection mechanism for project operation. We should insist on building mechanisms first and projects later, strengthen construction and management of projects, and improve quality and efficiency.


We will accelerate the implementation of water-saving irrigation projects


In order to implement the first document proposed, large-scale implementation of agricultural water-saving projects. The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources that China will take concrete measures from four aspects in the near future:


First, the design of policies and systems was strengthened. The Ministry of Water Resources, together with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, issued the Implementation Plan for Adding 100 million mu of Highly Efficient Water-saving Irrigation Area in the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the Implementation Plan for the Renewal of Supporting Facilities and Water-saving Renovation of Large Irrigation Areas in China (2016-2020).


Second, we will promote institutional innovation. We will accelerate comprehensive pricing reform of water for agriculture and strengthen management of water use for agriculture. To guide farmers, rural collective economic organizations, new types of agricultural operators and social capital to participate in the construction and operation of water-saving irrigation projects. We completed trials in 100 counties to reform the property rights system for farmland and water conservancy facilities and to innovate mechanisms for their operation and protection.


Third, we will accelerate the implementation of water-saving irrigation projects. Speed up the construction and renovation of water-saving and ecological modern irrigated areas. We will select a group of regions with guaranteed water sources, a large scale of planting operations, strong willingness of beneficiaries, and conditions for the operation of projects, and concentrate on building a number of national agricultural water-saving demonstration projects. We will continue to build high-efficiency water-saving irrigation demonstration counties. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China will increase the area under efficient water-saving irrigation by 100 million mu, and the area under effective farmland irrigation will reach over 1 billion mu by 2020.


Fourth, strengthen the construction and management of the project. Improve the market credit system, qualification management and access system for water-saving irrigation construction, strengthen supervision, and ensure the quality of products, equipment and projects.


Author: Editor: Wei Yongjing