Research on Temporal and Spatial Differentiation and Impact Paths of Agricultural Grey Water Footprints in the Yellow River Basin

Abstract

The scientific evaluation of water pollution in the Yellow River Basin was directly related to the sustainable utilization of water resources and the green development of the agricultural economy in this region. In this study, we focused on the planting industry, and measured the agricultural grey water footprint of 73 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2019. We used spatial autocorrelation analysis to reveal temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics, and we used the path analysis method to study the factors influencing the temporal evolution and spatial distribution. Taking 2015 as the study period, the agricultural grey water footprint showed a trend of first rising and then falling. The values and growth rates of the agricultural grey water footprint in different regions were quite different. According to the natural breakpoint method, the agricultural grey water footprints were divided into low, middle, high, and very high groups. There were obvious spatial differences in the agricultural grey water footprints, and these differences gradually decreased. Generally, the H–L and the L–L types were dominant. From 2000 to 2019, most prefecture-level cities maintained the same transition changes as those in the neighboring regions. Crop yield, economic scale, population scale, urban and rural structure, and technological innovation were found to be the key elements of spatiotemporal variation in the agricultural grey water footprint.