Spatiotemporal Variations in the Agricultural Water Footprint and Its Socioeconomic Adaptability Across Ecological Function Zones in Xinjiang, China

Agricultural water footprint is an important indicator for assessing water-use efficiency and resource carrying capacity in agricultural systems, especially in arid regions. From the perspective of ecological function zones, this study examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of the agricultural water footprint in Xinjiang, China, and evaluates its adaptability to socioeconomic factors. The blue and green water footprints of crop production and the water footprint of animal products during 2000–2020 were quantified to estimate the total agricultural water footprint. The Gini coefficient and imbalance index were used to quantitatively evaluate the spatial adaptability between the agricultural water footprint and socioeconomic factors, including sown area, population, and agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) across different ecological function zones. The results indicate that the agricultural water footprint increased from 2.54 × 1010 m3 to 5.85 × 1010 m3, with a clear spatial gradient characterized by higher values in southwestern Xinjiang and lower values in the northeastern region. Crop production accounted for more than 85% of the total footprint, with cotton as the dominant contributor, while beef consumption drove the growth in the animal product water footprint. The adaptability between the agricultural water footprint and sown area improved overall, whereas coordination with population distribution remained weak, and notable regional differences were observed in water footprint intensity relative to agricultural GDP. These findings indicate that the spatiotemporal differentiation of the agricultural water footprint is closely linked to resource endowments and development characteristics across ecological function zones, providing support for region-specific agricultural water management in arid areas.