Abstract

Over many years, academia has engaged in extensive dialogue about topics such as rivers, water resources, crises, and human civilization. This has resulted in numerous significant scholarly contributions. However, these aspects have received only limited research on water resource types in rural communities and conscious water source governance in mountain areas in China. This research investigates the agricultural practices and living conditions of farming communities in the Wuling Mountains of China. It offers insight into water resource dynamics. This study examines various factors from a multidimensional viewpoint, such as time, space, ethnicity, and society. It provides insight into the current state of rural water storage, drinking water resource availability, and usage patterns emerging through spatial interactions between people, water, and land. The analysis explores the underlying logic and wisdom of these communities’ survival strategies when faced with ecological and spatial transformations. This study seeks to provide ethnographic case studies that apply traditional agricultural civilization principles to modern issues related to water resource security, crises, utilization, and governance. This program addresses the critical needs of mountainous farming populations.

Keywords: Agricultural population, Water resources, Water use type, Government, Wuling mountains