A new method was developed to understand what factors affect how much water is used for irrigation in an arid region in China. By using a special computer model, researchers found that the total amount of water used for irrigation has increased over the past 30 years. The main reasons for this increase are the size of the farms, the types of crops grown, changes in the climate, and new technologies that save water. While some factors like planting more crops and certain types of crops increase water use, water-saving technologies help reduce it. To manage water better in this region, it is important to control the size of farms, change the types of crops grown, find ways to save water, and adapt to the changing climate.