Theory and Application of Virtual Water in Xinjiang

Virtual water is a new concept in the realm of water resources management presented in recent Years.The water used in the production process of an agricultural or industrial product is called thevirtual watercontained in the product.Virtual water is a new concept to solve the problem of shortage of water resources and water safety problems.It is the production of goods and services required in the water quantity.Virtual water strategy means regions whose water is scarce achieve their water security and food security by importing waterintensive products from those water is abundant,which expands the solution of water resources scarcity to the politica1-eco-nomic system.This paper introduces the concept of virtual water,the virtual water strategy and the virtual water method,points out the significance of virtual water's application in arid zone by calculating virtual water contents of main produce in Xinjiang from the year 1990 to 2004.Finally this paper ended with some summaries and suggestions such as strengthening the virtual water research,establishing the regional policy supporting system,innovating the water management mechanisms,applying the virtual water strategy in northwest arid China.