Emergy evaluation of a pumping irrigation water production system in China

Abstract

The emergy concept was used to evaluate a pumping irrigation water production system in China. A framework for emergy evaluation of the significance of irrigation water and its production process was developed. The results show that the irrigation water saved has the highest emergy value (8.73E+05 sej·J⁻¹), followed by the irrigation water supplied to farmlands (1.72E+05 sej·J⁻¹), the pumped water (4.81E+04 sej·J⁻¹), with the lowest value shown from water taken from the local river (3.72E+04 sej·J⁻¹). The major contributions to the emergy needed for production are the inputs of soil and water. This production system could contribute to the irrigated agriculture and economy, according to several calculated emergy indices: emergy yield ratio (EYR), emergy investment ratio (EIR), environmental load ratio (ELR), and environmental sustainability index (ESI). The comparative analysis shows that the emergy theory and method, different from the conventional monetary-based analysis, could be used to evaluate irrigation water and its production process in terms of the biophysical account. Additional emergy evaluations should be completed on different types of water production and irrigated agricultural systems to provide adequate guidelines for the sustainability of irrigation development.

Keywords

emergy / evaluation / irrigation / water

Dan Chenearned his Ph.D in agricultural water and soil engineering from Hohai University, China in 2007. He is currently an Associate Professor in College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University. His research interests include irrigation development, water management, and ecological economics.

Zhaohui Luoearned her Ph.D in natural, biotic, and social environmental engineering from the University of Yamanashi, Japan in 2009. She is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University. Her research interests include environmental engineering and management.

Michael Webberis a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1963 with first class honors in geography and subsequently undertook graduate training in agricultural economics and mathematics. He completed his Ph.D thesis on location and regional economic growth (Geography) at the Australian National University in 1967. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Resource Management and Geography, The University of Melbourne, Australia. His current research interests include water and environmental management in China.

Jing Chenearned her Ph.D from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan in 2000. She is currently a Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University. Her research interests include irrigation development and water management.

Weiguang Wangearned his Ph.D in water conservancy and hydropower engineering from Wuhan University, China in 2006. He is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University. His research interests include hydrology, irrigation development, and water management.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51109056 and 51109108), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20110097120002), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province (No. BK2011654), Australian Research Council Discovery grant (No. DP110103381), and a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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