Regional Differences Of Food Virtual Water Consumption In China Of Food Virtual Water Consumption In China

Water is the source of life and is the material basis for the survival and development of human beings and all living things.The security of water resources is closely related to social development and human life.In recent years,with the continuous increase of China's population and rapid socio-economic development,the contradiction between the supply and demand of water resources has become increasingly acute and the demand is increasing.The shortage of water resources has gradually become a bottleneck and a constraint to the social and economic development of the country.This paper divides China into seven regions,including Northeast China,South China,North China,Central China,Southwest China,and Northwest China,based on its natural geographical location.It divides the food into plant and animal foods.By reviewing the “China Statistical Yearbook” and statistical data from provinces,the trend of per capita food consumption and per capita virtual water consumption was calculated.Based on the LMDI decomposition model provided by Ang,identify the main factors that affect the virtual water consumption.By analyzing the trends of food consumption and virtual water consumption from 1980 to 2016,the main conclusions are as follows:(1)From 1980 to 2016,the per capita consumption of plant foods has gradually declined in the seven major regions.The decrease in per capita food consumption is relatively significant,with the largest decline in South China being 50.05%.The per capita animal foods in the seven regions are generally presented.The consumption of pork was significantly higher than that of other animal products.The increase in pork consumption in Southwest China was higher than that in other regions,which was 199.11%.It can be seen that the consumption of rations is gradually declining,and the consumption of highly nutritious livestock products is increasing.(2)From 1980 to 2016,the per capita virtual water consumption of plant foods is gradually decreased.Among them,South China decreased by 34.19%;The virtual water consumption of animal foods showed an overall upward trend,the Central China region increased 341.54%.The continuous increase in the consumption of livestock products will inevitably lead to a significant increase in cereal production.While grain cultivation is a traditional water-intensive industry,the virtual water content is high,and the large-scale production of cereals will inevitably induce an increase in water use.(3)It was found that the contribution of food consumption structure was slightly larger than the population,except for Northeast China and Westnorth China.It can be seen that population is the main factor affecting the virtual food consumption.With the continuous increase of the population and changes in the dietary structure,the demand for animal foods will not change in the short term and wil exert greater pressure on water resources.Therefore,in order to alleviate the shortage of water resources in China,the following are proposed:Suggestions:(1)Change food consumption patterns and guide residents to scientific diet;(2)Reduce virtual water consumption by reducing food waste;(3)Import high virtual water content products and export low virtual water consumption products through virtual water trade;(4)Adjust the production structure and adopt a production method with a high utilization rate of water resources.