眼下，粮食主产区陆续进入春耕用水高峰，全国春灌大面积展开。水利部最新数据显示，中国已建成耕地灌溉面积10.55亿亩， 77% of grain and more than 90% of cash crops are produced with 55% of the country's cultivated land. While grain output is growing steadily, the total amount of irrigation water has achieved zero growth.。

On March 30, in Xindianzi Town, Zunhua City, Hebei Province, farmers drove agricultural machinery to sow seeds (drone photo).

For a large agricultural country like China, agricultural irrigation is of great significance. China lacks water resources in the north and abundant in the south, and has more cultivated land resources in the north and less in the south. Under this situation of mismatch between water and soil resources, the focus of grain production has continued to move northward in recent years. Whether farmland irrigation can be done well is related to national food security. The drought in the four northwest provinces and regions will be severe in 2023, and grain production will still be stable and high in years of severe drought. An important reason is that relevant river basin agencies have strengthened water supply dispatch and ensured irrigation of more than 13 million acres of autumn grain. Similarly, for areas with potential water and soil resources, production capacity can be greatly increased through appropriate water source development and reasonable expansion of irrigation area.

For water-poor countries like China, water-saving irrigation is of great significance. Agriculture is a major water user, and agricultural water consumption accounts for more than 60% of the country's total water consumption. Doing a good job in agricultural water conservation is related to national water security. China's per capita possession of water resources is small, and tightening constraints on water resources is a problem that agriculture has always faced. At the same time, as consumption continues to escalate, demand for grain and agricultural products has grown rigidly, putting forward higher requirements for agricultural water conservation. In recent years, China has carried out water-saving renovation in irrigation districts, implementing actions such as water conservation and grain increase in Northeast China, water conservation and water mining in North China, water conservation and efficiency improvement in Northwest China, and water conservation and emission reduction in South China. The average water consumption per mu for farmland irrigation has dropped significantly.

Irrigation for agriculture is not only about obtaining water, nor is it just about ensuring output, but also a catalyst for high-quality agricultural development. 如今，很多种植大户对灌溉装备的态度正从非刚性需求转变为刚性需求。他们意识到，发展高效灌溉、精准灌溉，配合水肥一体化、管护智能化，可提高农产品品质。蔬菜是典型的耗水作物，“蔬菜之乡”山东寿光的人均水资源量仅为全国平均水平的1／10，却支撑起60万亩蔬菜种植面积。在当地，蔬菜产业的节水化与设施农业和智慧农业相伴而生，农民实现了“一亩地上奔小康”。

当今世界，农业强国通常也是农业灌溉强国。美国是全球最大农产品出口国，节水灌溉面积占总灌溉面积的大头。在荷兰和以色列，先进的灌溉技术对农业发展发挥了重要作用。其共同点在于，伴随节水灌溉，一系列先进生产要素随之导入，显著提高了农业生产率。 In terms of area, China has become the world's largest irrigation country 。但是，由于基础设施不够完善、节水灌溉技术有待推广、农业节水激励不足等因素，农田灌溉用水有效利用系数相对较低。这也意味着农业节水潜力很大，今后要以科技和改革双轮驱动节水农业发展。

Tighten the "faucet" with technology. Make good use of the "three drops of water" of natural precipitation, surface water and groundwater, and further improve water use efficiency based on three aspects: engineering, agronomy, and variety, so that fewer aquatic products can produce more food. 。工程方面，打通大动脉和毛细血管，骨干工程节水与田间工程节水同步推进、无缝衔接。农艺方面，把节水改造与农机装备、栽培制度结合起来，把好水用在刀刃上，用到最佳生长期。品种方面，推动节水型和抗旱型品种选育推广，减少单位农产品生产的净耗水，实现藏水于技。

Use reform to make "water articles" alive. 过去不少农户觉得，水从门前过，用多少都没错。现在要改变观念，让农户算清节水账，尤其是见到实在的效益。既要用上“明白水”，建立健全农业水价形成机制，开展精准补贴和节水奖励，让价格杠杆撬动用水习惯改变。更要以缺水地区、设施农业、经济作物、种植大户为先导，规模化推进节水型高质量农业，实现节水、增效、减支，将节水者利益最大化，调动其节水灌溉积极性。

The water network is connected to the farmland network. When large water users become large water users, the foundation of the granary of a large country will be more solid.