Crop redistribution can reduce the environmental footprint within groundwater depletion regions by more than one-third and contribute to the recovery of groundwater table

How to provide co-benefits of food security, resource use efficiency, and friendly environment for spatially targeted, remains unanswered especially in groundwater depletion (GWD) regions. we developed a framework for crop redistribution to achieve synergistic effects across multi-dimensions.
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Irrigated agriculture plays a pivotal role in meeting the increasing food demand of a growing global population. It significantly contributes to the global food security by providing 40% of the world’s food while accounting for 70% of total water withdrawals, resulting in a cereal yield that is 1.66 times higher than that of rain-fed agriculture (Siebert et al., 2010). However, regions where irrigated agriculture is practiced face challenges such as unsustainable groundwater depletion due to the significant consumption of blue water (Wada et al., 2010; Zuo et al., 2018).  Additionally, these regions experience issues like increased fertilizer surplus, greenhouse gas emissions and grey water footprint, along with lower nitrogen and water use efficiency (Cui et al., 2021; Tan et al., 2017; Mekonnen et al., 2011).

The co-benefits of several SDGs have gained momentum from the urgent call for action by all countries. Improving grain production (SDG 2: Zero Hunger), water use (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation), and climate mitigation (SDG 13: Climate Action) is imperative due to the escalating worldwide demands for agricultural products, sustainable water use, and a healthy environment. The relationships among food, resources, and the environment vary spatially, with changes in crop patterns and management practices. Various solution-oriented approaches, such as the spatial optimization of crops, have been employed to identify trade-offs and synergies across multiple dimensions (Folberth et al., 2020; Davis et al., 2018; 2019).  Nevertheless, how to optimize the crop distributions for providing co-benefits of food security, resource use efficiency, and reducing negative externalities related to environmental footprints and groundwater table for spatially targeted and fine-scale technical guidance tailored to local conditions, remains unanswered especially in groundwater depletion (GWD) regions.

In our study, we developed a framework for crop redistribution on a grid at 1 km scale to achieve synergistic effects across multi-dimensions, taking the wheat redistribution in the Huang-Huai-Hai (HHH) region of China as an example.  Three scenarios were considered: (1) minimizing irrigation water demand for wheat without compromising production (S1), (2) maximizing wheat production while ensuring sustainable groundwater use (S2), and (3) maximizing both wheat production and nitrogen use efficiency while ensuring sustainable groundwater use (S3).

Our study found that after wheat redistribution, the resource efficiency will increase by 1–21% and the environmental impacts will reduce by 18–37%. In the S1 scenario, which maintains the current production level, the harvested area, blue water and nitrogen application would decrease by 10%, 16% and 8%, respectively. If we consider sustainable groundwater for wheat irrigation in the GWD region (S2), our optimization scheme could potentially result in a 39% reduction in blue water, while wheat production would decrease by 17%. If we continue to pursue maximizing nitrogen use efficiency in the GWD region, it will reduce the environmental impacts of the HHH region by 35–37% and the GWD region by 68–72%.

Multi-benefits of wheat redistribution

Furthermore, the wheat redistribution in S1 also makes the area proportion of unsustainable groundwater use in the GWD regions from 41% to 35%, while in scenarios S2 and S3, the sustainable groundwater use proportion will reach 100% in the GWD region. Another indicator of average groundwater depth in the GWD region is projected to increase by 4.39 m, 9.38 m, and 9.03 m in 2030 under S1, S2, and S3, respectively, compared to current level.

Changes in groundwater depths after wheat redistribution under different scenarios

In summary, we propose an explicitly spatial solution for planning and implementing sustainable food production systems with the goal of achieving groundwater recovery in a GWD region. This strategy will be a valuable tool for improving the sustainability of agricultural systems, while striving to maximize food production and minimize resource use and environmental impact.  Such efforts are critical for improving productivity, resource sustainability, economic resilience, environmental protection and social well-being in farming communities worldwide.

 

If you would like to read more in detail, you can find the full paper on this link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01547-9

 

References

Cui, X. et al. Global mapping of crop-specific emission factors highlights hotspots of nitrous oxide mitigation. Nat. Food 2, 886-893 (2021).

Davis, K. F. et al. Alternative cereals can improve water use and nutrient supply in India. Sci. Adv. 4, eaao1108 (2018).

Davis, K. F. et al. Assessing the sustainability of post-Green Revolution cereals in India. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 116, 25034-25041 (2019).

Folberth, C. et al. The global cropland-sparing potential of high-yield farming. Nat. Sustain. 3, 281-289 (2020).

Mekonnen, M. M. & Hoekstra, A. Y. The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived crop products. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 15, 1577-1600 (2011).

Siebert, S. & Döll, P. Quantifying blue and green virtual water contents in global crop production as well as potential production losses without irrigation. J. Hydrol. 384, 198-217 (2010).

Tan, Y. et al. Effects of optimized N fertilization on greenhouse gas emission and crop production in the North China Plain. Field Crop. Res. 205, 135-146 (2017).

Wada, Y. et al. Global depletion of groundwater resources. Geophys. Res. Lett. 37 (2010).

Zuo, L. et al. Progress towards sustainable intensification in China challenged by land-use change. Nat. Sustain. 1, 304-313 (2018).

 

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