Agricultural irrigation water efficiency in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2020:Based on the three-stage DEA model and Malmquist index
[Background]Currently,the Yellow River Basin contributes one-third of China's total grain production,but its agricultural water management is inefficient,with irrigation water accounting for over 90％of total usage.Efficient utilization of agricultural irrigation water is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and environmental conservation.Implementing efficient irrigation system improves crop yield and quality,enhances drought resistance and adaptability,reduces costs,and mitigates soil salinization.Therefore,efficient agricultural irrigation water usage is necessary to promote sustainable agricultural development and ecological protection.[Methods]This article employed the three-stage DEA model and Malmquist index to conduct static and dynamic analysis of agricultural irrigation water use efficiency in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2020.The three-stage DEA model can eliminate the impact of non-operational factors(including external environment and random errors)on agricultural irrigation water use efficiency,thereby more accurately reflecting the internal management level of decision units.The Malmquist index can analyze the trend changes in agricultural irrigation water use efficiency,which helps to better understand the development trend of agricultural irrigation water use efficiency.[Results]The First Stage of the DEA model revealed that,from 2007 to 2020,the annual average comprehensive efficiency,pure technical efficiency,and scale efficiency of agricultural irrigation water use in the Yellow River Basin were 0.786,0.913,and 0.864,respectively.The regression outcomes from the Second Stage of SFA revealed that the regression coefficients of per capita gross domestic product(GDP)and per capita water resources with respect to the input slack variables associated with effective irrigated area pass the 1％significance test.In contrast,input slack variables associated with agricultural water use and personnel employment did not pass the significance test.Furthermore,fiscal expenditures on agricultural and forestry water affairs did not exhibit significance in relation to any of the input slack variables.In the Third Stage,the results of the DEA model indicate that,after controlling for external factors and random errors,the annual average comprehensive efficiency for this period decreased by 5.2％,while pure technical efficiency increased by 1.8％,and scale efficiency declined by 7.2％.The annual average comprehensive efficiency,pure technical efficiency,and scale efficiency in Henan province all remained above 1,reaching their maximum values.The Malmquist index revealed that,from 2007 to 2020,the overall trend in irrigation water use efficiency in the Yellow River Basin demonstrated a fluctuating upward trajectory with an average growth rate of 10.3％.Specifically,the change in technical progress exceeded 1,and the variation in scale efficiency corresponded to the changes observed in the Malmquist index.[Conclusions]Based on the above conclusions,the agricultural irrigation technology in the Yellow River Basin is at an advanced level.However,the pure technical efficiency of agricultural irrigation water use is underestimated,and the scale efficiency is overestimated,leading to the inappropriate scale of agricultural irrigation.Therefore,while ensuring the adoption of advanced irrigation technologies,it is imperative to prioritize the exploration of the scale efficiency potential in agricultural irrigation water use.This approach will further enhance the efficiency of irrigation water use,promoting the sustainable development of water and soil resources in the region.
agricultural irrigation water use efficiencythree-stage DEA modelMalmquist indexThe Yellow River Basin
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