The Spatiotemporal Pattern of Virtual Water Flow Driven by Grain Trade between China and Countries along'the Belt and Road'and Its Water-Saving Benefits
Grain trade is a crucial component of economic and trade cooperation among countries along'the Belt and Road',fa-cilitating the flow of virtual water required throughout the grain production process.Based on the Penman formula,this study in-corporated the virtual water content per unit of grain product into the grain trade data system,revealing the spatiotemporal pattern of virtual water flows driven by grain trade between China and countries along'the Belt and Road',and calculated the global water-saving benefits achieved through grain trade.The results are as follows:(1)The net import volume of virtual water driven by China's grain trade has increased annually,predominantly comprising rice and corn.(2)The structure of importing countries for China's virtual water in grain is stable yet relatively concentrated,and it is suggested that the grain trade object should be di-versified;The volume of virtual water exported in grain is small,with export destinations being relatively dispersed.(3)Combined with the water resources endowment,it can be seen that under the premise that import is inevitable,Chinese grain import consid-ering the water resources endowment of the import area does not show water resource saving,but the amount of waste is greatly reduced.The water saving of grain export scarcity is positive,which has a certain water saving benefit.Based on these results,it is suggested that China could reduce the concentration of grain-importing countries and optimize the spatial layout of grain trade.By doing so,it ensures food security while achieving effective water resource savings through virtual water trade,thereby expand-ing ideas and pathways for water conservation.
grain tradethe spatiotemporal pattern of virtual waterwater-saving benefits"the Belt and Road"
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