Balance Between Water Resources and Soil Resource in Coastal Regions of Jiangsu Province and Its Economic Analysis

Abstract

【Background and Objective】 Agriculture in many regions in China relies on irrigation, while the available water resources in some regions might not be sufficient to meet the demand. Understanding this imbalance is essential to economic management, and this paper calculates spatiotemporal variation in this balance across coastal regions in Jiangsu province. 【Method】 The analysis is based on the Gini coefficient and the Theil index using data measured from 2009 to 2020. The coupled coordination method is used to evaluate the level of coordinated development in these regions. 【Result】 The reclaimed stalinized lands in the coastal regions for agricultural production is higher than provincial average, and the balance between agricultural water resources and soil resources is lower than provincial average. The Gini coefficient characterizing the balance between agricultural water and soil resources is consistent with the Theil index, and it is ranked in the order of cultivated land benefit < agricultural water and soil resources < agricultural irrigation water benefit. The coupled coordination degree varies from 0.35 to 0.40. 【Conclusion】 The coastal regions in Jiangsu province are rich in land resources and poor in irrigation water resources. The lack of water resources is the main factor restricting development of the agricultural economy in these regions. The overall difference in the Gini coefficient and the Theil index in these regions is due to the inter-region difference; the coupled and coordinated development level in the regions is fragile and could shift from balance to unbalance.

Keywords

• coastal area
• agricultural water and soil resources
• gini coefficient
• theil index
• coupling coordination model