Drip irrigation lowers the water requirements of individual fields, but at regional level, the effect can tip to the opposite. A long-term analysis from northwestern China shows that, parallel to more efficient irrigation, the arable land grew by 48 percent and the total water consumption of the fields increased. At the same time, the groundwater at the edge of the oases declined and the vegetation declined. Urumqi (China). More efficient [...] …
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Drip irrigation lowers the water requirements of individual fields, but at regional level, the effect can tip to the opposite. A long-term analysis from northwestern China shows that, parallel to more efficient irrigation, the arable land grew by 48 percent and the total water consumption of the fields increased. At the same time, the groundwater at the edge of the oases declined and the vegetation declined. Urumqi (China). More efficient [...] …