| Yunnan Province, which is located in the southwest of China, is an important settlement for minority groups. That district has abundant water resources, ranking the third place in China. But because of spatial and temporal distribution, Yunnan is facing serious water challenges. The water and food safety problem has become an issue under the impact of severe drought. It has threatened the socio-economic, ecological environment and sustainable development of Yunnan, and will even further affect the country's security and development.The concept of "virtual water" was proposed in 1990s to solve the water shortage and safety problem. And now it is a hot topic at water-related international conferences. Solving the water shortage problem worldwide is usually relying on engineering and technical means, but"virtual water"leads people to focus on economical means to solve water shortage, redundancy and safety issues."Food is the basis for people's survival, and grain is the source of the food."As the agriculture is the largest water consumer in the three major industries, the development of agriculture depends heavily on water. Therefore, as important agricultural constraints, water resources will affect the adjustment and optimization of the agricultural structure in an area.This paper will introduce the concept of virtual water, and systematically summary related theories and methods. We select Yunnan Province as a sample area. Based its present situation, we will calculate the amount of virtual water consumed by urban and rural residents and the amount of traded virtual water in 2007 with the help of CROPWAT software recommended by FAO. Finally, while ensuring the most efficient usage of water resources, the paper will make some relevant recommendations on optimization and adjustment of the agricultural structure in Yunnan using the linear programming model. It concludes that virtual water is a valid path to solve the water scarcity problem. |
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