Arable land and water footprints for food consumption in China: From the perspective of urban and rural dietary change

Since the adoption of the open-door policy, the Chinese dietary pattern has changed greatly. Based on the dietary changes, this study analyzed the arable land and water footprints (WFs) for the food consumption of urban and rural residents in China. The results showed that the arable land demand and WFs for meat, vegetable oil, soybeans and liquor exceeded those for other foods, and the per capita arable land and WFs for food consumption of urban residents were higher than those of rural residents. The total arable land and WFs for the food consumption of residents increased by 16.9 million ha (from 91.1 to 108 million ha) and 214.5 billion m3 (from 457.9 to 672.4 billion m3), respectively, from 1983 to 2017. Specifically, the total arable land and WFs for the food consumption of urban residents increased by 45.9 million hm2 (from 22.6 to 68.5 million hm2) and 318.3 billion m3 (from 113.2 to 431.5 billion m3), respectively. Additionally, those of rural residents decreased by 29.7 million hm2 (from 69.2 to 39.5 million hm2) and 103.9 billion m3 (344.8 to 240.9 billion m3), respectively, mainly due to the migration of the rural population to cities and the reductions in per capita arable land and WFs due to increased crop yields. The arable land and blue WFs required for food consumption will reach 127.7 million hm2 and 221.1 billion m3, respectively, in 2030. However, these values will be reduced by approximately 23% and 20%, respectively, to 98.9 million hm2 and 177.8 billion m3 under a balanced dietary pattern. Measures such as improving the investment in agricultural research and development, advocating a balanced diet, and increasing the import of resource-intensive foods could alleviate the pressure on land and water resources. [Display omitted] •Per capita arable land and WFs of urban residents was higher than that of rural.•Meat, vegetable oil, soybeans and liquor were higher than those for other food items.•Arable land and BWF demand for food will reach 127.7 million hm2 and 221.1 billion m3 in 2030.•Shift to the balanced dietary can reduce the pressure on arable land and water resources.