Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province

The misalignment between the water-soil-grain supply and demand system presents a major challenge to the sustainable development of China’s agriculture, and optimizing crop planting structures plays a key role in it. Currently, the dietary patterns of Chinese residents are shifting from subsistence-...

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Main Authors: Wenxue Xia, Jiankang Dong, Bing Zhang, Jingyan Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:Agricultural Water Management
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425004846
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author Wenxue Xia
Jiankang Dong
Bing Zhang
Jingyan Han
author_facet Wenxue Xia
Jiankang Dong
Bing Zhang
Jingyan Han
author_sort Wenxue Xia
collection DOAJ
description The misalignment between the water-soil-grain supply and demand system presents a major challenge to the sustainable development of China’s agriculture, and optimizing crop planting structures plays a key role in it. Currently, the dietary patterns of Chinese residents are shifting from subsistence-based to well-being-oriented, evolving from a predominantly “grain and vegetable” structure to a diversified diet incorporating “grain, meat, vegetables, and fruits”. Given the rigid constraints on water resources, addressing how to optimize crop planting structures in Hebei Province while considering multiple objectives remains a critical challenge. This study focused on Hebei Province, analyzing its agricultural planting situation and incorporating the balanced dietary needs of Chinese residents into the “water-soil-grain” planting structure optimization model. Using the NSGA-II algorithm, the study optimized the crop planting structure under two scenarios: water-saving objective and water-efficiency objective. The results revealed the following: (1) The total crop output in Hebei Province increased consistently, while the cultivated land area remained relatively stable. The annual average of total agricultural water use showed a downward trend with an average annual decrease of 1.88 %. (2) In the scenario 1, the grain planting area decreased by 15.88 %, while the fruit planting area increased by 2.09 times, meeting the needs of a low-level balanced diet. In the scenario 2, the planting areas for vegetables and fruits increased while the grain planting area decreased by 10.91 %. That has important implications for the utilization of agricultural water resources and the enhancement of regional food security in water-scarce areas.
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spelling doaj-art-7f5e80458d8f48f5913d18a9d8ca2c722025-08-26T04:14:09ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-10-0131910977010.1016/j.agwat.2025.109770Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei ProvinceWenxue Xia0Jiankang Dong1Bing Zhang2Jingyan Han3Faculty of Geography, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaFaculty of Geography, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaFaculty of Geography, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Correspondence to: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, China.College of Water Conservancy Engineering, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300392, ChinaThe misalignment between the water-soil-grain supply and demand system presents a major challenge to the sustainable development of China’s agriculture, and optimizing crop planting structures plays a key role in it. Currently, the dietary patterns of Chinese residents are shifting from subsistence-based to well-being-oriented, evolving from a predominantly “grain and vegetable” structure to a diversified diet incorporating “grain, meat, vegetables, and fruits”. Given the rigid constraints on water resources, addressing how to optimize crop planting structures in Hebei Province while considering multiple objectives remains a critical challenge. This study focused on Hebei Province, analyzing its agricultural planting situation and incorporating the balanced dietary needs of Chinese residents into the “water-soil-grain” planting structure optimization model. Using the NSGA-II algorithm, the study optimized the crop planting structure under two scenarios: water-saving objective and water-efficiency objective. The results revealed the following: (1) The total crop output in Hebei Province increased consistently, while the cultivated land area remained relatively stable. The annual average of total agricultural water use showed a downward trend with an average annual decrease of 1.88 %. (2) In the scenario 1, the grain planting area decreased by 15.88 %, while the fruit planting area increased by 2.09 times, meeting the needs of a low-level balanced diet. In the scenario 2, the planting areas for vegetables and fruits increased while the grain planting area decreased by 10.91 %. That has important implications for the utilization of agricultural water resources and the enhancement of regional food security in water-scarce areas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425004846Balanced dietFood securityWater use scenarioPlanting Structure OptimizationFood-Vegetables-FruitHebei Province
spellingShingle Wenxue Xia
Jiankang Dong
Bing Zhang
Jingyan Han
Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
Agricultural Water Management
Balanced diet
Food security
Water use scenario
Planting Structure Optimization
Food-Vegetables-Fruit
Hebei Province
title Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
title_full Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
title_fullStr Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
title_full_unstemmed Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
title_short Optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain-producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources: A case study of Hebei Province
title_sort optimization of agricultural planting structure in major grain producing areas based on supply and demand and water resources a case study of hebei province
topic Balanced diet
Food security
Water use scenario
Planting Structure Optimization
Food-Vegetables-Fruit
Hebei Province
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425004846
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