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2021, Volume 8, Issue 1

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Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering >> 2021, Volume 8, Issue 1 doi: 10.15302/J-FASE-2020366

GREEN AGRICULTURE AND BLUE WATER IN CHINA: REINTEGRATING CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION FOR CLEAN WATER

. Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands... College of Environment and Resource, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China... Development Economics Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands... Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050037, China... School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China... Center for Resources, Environment & Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.

Received: 2020-10-27 Accepted: 2020-12-28 Available online: 2020-12-28
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Abstract

Crop and livestock production are essential to maintain food security. In China, crop and livestock production were integrated in the past. Today, small backyard systems are still integrated but the larger livestock farms are landless and largely geographically separated from crop production systems. As a result, there is less recycling of animal manures and there are lower nutrient use efficiencies in the Chinese food production systems. This, in turn, results in considerable losses of nutrients, causing water pollution and harmful algal blooms in Chinese lakes, rivers and seas. To turn the tide, there is a need for agricultural “green” development for food production through reintegrating crop and livestock production. An additional wish is to turn the Chinese water systems “blue” to secure clean water for current and future generations. In this paper, current knowledge is summarized to identify promising interventions for reintegrating crop and livestock production toward clean water. Technical, social, economic, policy and environmental interventions are addressed and examples are given. The paper highlights recommended next steps to achieve “green” agriculture and “blue” water in China.

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