Virtual Water Flow Patterns Embedded in Major Crops in China

With population growth and rapid economic development, food and water security problems in China are becoming increasingly prominent. The concept of‘virtual water’connects water resources and food security. Within the virtual water strategy, water-shortage countries and regions can buy water intensive crop products from water-rich countries and regions, especially grain, to obtain water and food security. Virtual water flow is influenced by regional natural resources and social economic development, crop production conditions and technological progress, national policy and the ecological environment. Quantitative research in this area is needed to reveal the influence of various factors on virtual water flow patterns. Here, we explore virtual water interregional flow relationships for main crop products in China and estimate virtual water flow from 2007-2010. We found that northeast China and Huanghuaihai are the main virtual water exporting regions, the southeast and south are main access areas, and the virtual water flow for main crops is still from northern to southern China. Using a PLS model, the formation mechanism of virtual water flow is analyzed across crop resources, crop ecological environment, economy, technology and culture, traffic and virtual water increment. We found that population affects virtual water increment through crop resources. The economy mainly affects virtual water flow through transport and technology and culture.