Impact of resources and technology on farm production in northwestern China

Analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of resources and technological inputs on farm production in northwestern China, including five provincial districts of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. The gross value of farm production using 1978 constant prices was chosen to be the dependent variable in data analysis. Input variables included the irrigation ratio, farm labour, fertilizer application, and farm machinery. Multivariate statistical analysis (correlation and regression) was used to characterize the relationships between the gross value of farm production and various input variables. The gross value of farm production in the region increased fivefold during the study period, and was strongly associated with resource use and technological inputs. The gross value of farm production was significantly correlated with the irrigation ratio in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, where the irrigation ratio was relatively low compared with the national averages. The increase in irrigation ratio in these provincial districts explained 9–19% of the growth in farm output from 1978 to 1998. Technological inputs of chemical fertilizer and farm machinery were significantly associated with farming output in all provincial districts. During the study period, the application of technological inputs increased two to eightfold, and contributed about 45% in the growth of farming output in the region. Farm production was also found to be significantly correlated with labour input. Results of this study indicated that water use efficiency and irrigation management need to be improved for future agricultural development, and further advances in farm mechanization and technology application are key for increasing farm production with limited water resources in this semi-arid area.