Abstract:Oasisization is an external manifestation of the temporal and spatial evolution of oasis in arid areas, and the regional water carrying capacity is the key to restricting oasis agriculture and ecological protection in arid areas. The Hexi Corridor is not only an important passage from the east to the west in China, but also an important carrier of regional development; it is not only an important ecological barrier in Northwest China, but also a typical irrigated agricultural area. After more than 60 years of construction, the Hexi Corridor has made remarkable achievements in social progress, traffic conditions, ecological construction and agricultural development, but water resources have increasingly become a restricting factor of the sustainable development in the area. Based on the analysis of the problems existing in the ecological construction and agricultural development of the oasis in the Hexi Corridor, this study proposes that the scale of the oasis should be determined by the amount of water, and 20%–30% of the water resources should be used as ecological water. Under the current water supply conditions, this study suggests allocating water and soil resources rationally, improving the quality of oasis, and controlling the scale of oasis; properly establishing a low-water-consumption desert riparian vegetation zone and a rain-fed sand control system around the desert margin; strengthening the authenticity of desert vegetation and integrity protection, minimizing the disturbance to desert vegetation, thus to protect the safety and stability of the ecological barrier of the Hexi Corridor and the sustainable development of oasis agriculture.