Analysis of the regional differences in agricultural water poverty in China: Based on a new agricultural water poverty index

China's agricultural water resource utilization contradiction is prominent, and there are obvious differences in the distribution and utilization of water resources among regions. The theory of agricultural water poverty is of great significance to promote the efficient utilization of agricultural water resources and alleviate the contradiction of agricultural water use. However, the definition of the existing agricultural water poverty theory is quite controversial, and the mainstream agricultural water poverty index (AWPI) for measuring agricultural water poverty has disadvantages such as complex index selection and lack of unified weights. In this regard, this research takes the lead in providing a more complete definition of agricultural water poverty with reference to the definition of water poverty. In terms of method, the research refers to the Social Water Stress/Scarcity Index (SWSI) framework and proposes a new agricultural water poverty index from the two aspects of agricultural water scarcity and agricultural development capability. Based on this index, the regional differences in agricultural water poverty in China are analyzed. The main findings of the study: The agricultural water poverty index proposed in this study has rich connotations, is easy to compare objectively between regions and is applicable in the field of agriculture. The regional differences in agricultural water poverty in China are large, the number of areas with serious agricultural water poverty problems is large, and such problems last for a long time. The distribution of agricultural water poverty in China has spatial autocorrelation rather than a random distribution. China's relative agricultural water poverty index fluctuates around high values, the gap in agricultural water poverty between regions has not narrowed, and the contradiction in relative agricultural water poverty is prominent. The occurrence paths of agricultural water poverty in different regions are different, and the situation in different regions should be identified based on the scarcity of agricultural water resources and the development capability of agricultural production. Finally, this study expects to improve agricultural water poverty theory to effectively alleviate the problem of agricultural water poverty in different regions and promote balanced regional development . • A new agricultural water poverty index (AWPI) is constructed and analyzed with China as an example. • The regional differences of agricultural water poverty in China are analyzed horizontally from the spatial distribution. • The concept of relative agricultural water poverty is put forward. • The governance methods of relative agricultural water poverty are discussed.