The Impact of Water Utilization on the Dynamic Total Efficiency of China’s Agricultural Production

Abstract

Water resources are very important to agricultural production. In recent years, the change rate of agricultural cultivated land area in China has been very low, so it is not easy to increase its area and improve production capacity. To measure the impact of China’s water resources on agricultural efficiency from 2012 to 2016, this research applies the dynamic SBM model, conceives agricultural water as an external input, and uses the cultivated land area as an immutable intertemporal variable. The empirical results show that (1) the agricultural efficiency of Beijing, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang are not affected by agricultural water. (2) The average value of China’s overall agricultural efficiency increased from 0.834 to 0.910, indicating that agricultural water is a positive efficiency factor. (3) Jilin, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Hubei are the five administrative regions with the most improvement in agricultural efficiency. (4) Insufficient agricultural productivity is the main factor affecting agricultural efficiency.