Testing the Effects of Water-Saving Technologies Adapted to Drought: Empirical Evidence from the Huang-Huai-Hai Region in China

The aggravation of extreme weather events has dramatically increased the risk of severe water shortages and seriously threatened agricultural production. The Huang-Huai-Hai region, an important agricultural production region in China, is subject to a severe water shortage and is often hit by drought. As a result, water-saving technologies (WSTs) have been implemented. It remains unclear how effectively these WSTs can reduce crop yield loss, crop yield variation, and the loss of net crop income caused by water scarcity. Therefore, this paper aimed to analyze the role of WSTs in response to drought by establishing a multi-objective expected utility function based on 988 farmers across the Huang-Huai-Hai region. Econometric analysis employing an endogenous switching regression model showed that using WSTs can significantly reduce crop yield loss and net income loss caused by drought. Adopting household-based WSTs or community-based water-saving technology generates even greater positive effects on crop yield and farmers' net income. Therefore, the government should promote farmers' adoption of more advanced WSTs by increasing subsidies and strengthening policy support.

Automated summary

The aggravation of extreme weather events has significantly increased the risk of severe water shortages and posed a serious threat to agricultural production. This study found that water-saving technologies play a significant role in responding to drought, with the adoption of household-based or community-based WSTs generating even greater positive effects on crop yield and farmers' net income.