International Committee on Irrigation and Drainage held the meeting of “Sustainable Water Resource Utility and Food Safety” in Zhengzhou, Henan Province during the 5th Yellow River International Forum.

 

At the meeting, Vice Minister Li Guoying from Ministry of Water Resource of China introduced the great achievements China had done in irrigation and drainage. With the development of farmland irrigation, over 60 million hectares of farmland in China are applying efficient water saving irrigation. China feeds the world’s 21% population successfully with 6% fresh water and 9% farmland. Apparently farmland irrigation construction has played a very important role for this. China government pays great attention to agriculture water saving irrigation, adding the investment in farmland water conservancy, and developing water saving irrigation construction and irrigation infrastructure reformation.

 

Li Guoying analyzed the severe challenges and shortages of China agriculture water saving irrigation and China food safety. Currently farmland irrigation water utilization coefficient in China is far behind advanced world levels. Meanwhile, the modes of production in rural areas have transformed dramatically, but the matching water conservancy systems have not been established yet. Li pointed that Chinese government has issued policies to accelerate water conservancy transformation. Chinese government will increase investment on irrigation and drainage and promote the developments of irrigation and drainage. China will vigorously develop sprinkling irrigation, micro irrigation and piping irrigation. a 10 million hectares of farmland will be increased to apply water saving irrigation. By the year of 2020, China will almost complete the water saving reformation of large and medium sized irrigation and pumping stations. The utilities coefficient of irrigation will rise up to more than 0.55.

 

Li Guoying stressed, Chinese irrigation and drainage industry has been focused and supported by other countries and international organizations. Ministry of Water Resource of China would like to communicate with members from International Irrigation & Drainage Committee over technologies and experiences, jointly promote the developments of irrigation and drainage, and contribute to the global food safety.

 

Li pointed out the No.1 Central Document and the national water conference have determined the principle for the developments of water conservancy. The document indicated that science an technology innovation shall lead and support modern agricultural constructions. Agriculture is the basis of national food security, the necessary choice of breaking through the resource obstacles,. also the dominant factor on modern agriculture construction, it has remarkable publicity, fundamentality and sociality. Chinese government will strive to reform the water conservancy constructions in 5 to 10 years. By the year of 2020, following systems will be basically established in China: flood control and drought relief systems, water resource reasonable allocating systems, high efficient utilizing systems, water resources protecting systems, river and lake health security systems, sustainable water conservancy systems.. Ministry of Water Resource of China would like to collaborate with World Wildlife Fund to develop water saving irrigation and water conservancy together, to achieve the result of water-saving.