Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project seeks to avoid a downward spiralling interaction between household impoverishment and ecological degradation by optimizing immediate short-term agricultural output and long-term ecological sustainability in the mountains, hills, and plains of the Jiangxi Province. The project is based on the objective of alleviating poverty as mentioned in Chapter 8 of China's Agenda 21. It further contributes to sustainable agriculture, conservation of natural resources and reduction of soil erosion (programme areas 11E, 14D, 16A and 16B).

1. Background

Population growth, agricultural expansion, and industrial development seriously endanger the rich natural resources in the Ganjiang River basin and the Poyanghu Lake Catchment area of Jiangxi Province. This area - also called the Mountain-River-Lake (MRL) Region - consists geographically of four components: Gannan mountain area, Jitai basin, Ganxi Hilly Area, and Poyanghu Lake Catchment. In the entire region, 29 million people live on 117,900 square kilometres, distributed on over 64 counties.

The Ganjiang River is the main link between the mountains and the plains surrounding the Pohyanghu Lake. In this integrated ecological system of the MRL region, impoverishment and degradation are increasingly mutually reinforcing.

Still, the region has abundant biodiversity with many kinds of trees, (among them are Chinese fir, pine, bamboo and oil tea), grasses, aquatic plants, wild animals, and fish. The 70,000 hectares of lake and swamp form a rich wild life habitat. The subtropical climate, with abundant monsoon rainfall, and a long frost-free period, contributes to maintaining this natural wealth.

Whilst paddy growers expand there single crop cultivation rapidly into the upstream river basin and now occupy 65 percent of all land, land and water resources are not utilized intensively and household incomes remain poor. However, soil erosion extends and hundred million tons of sediments are transported into the river beds every year. This siltation brings flood danger, and reduces the water storage capacity and the shipping capacity.

To overcome the deterioration, the provincial government of Jiangxi has drafted an overall plan for an economically and environmentally sustainable development of the MRL Region. This plan has been approved by the Jiangxi People's Congress. Some donor supports have been received for ongoing research and extension activities. Sustainable farming models have been successfully implemented, resulting in a threefold increase in revenue. These models include small-scale watershed development, red soil utilization and intensive agriculture.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To strengthen sustainable farming systems, and therefore to improve the living standard of six million people in the Ganjiang River basin and Poyanghu Lake catchment of Jiangxi Province, and to restore the ecological balance and wealth for the benefit of present and future generations.

• Immediate Objectives
  • To extend small-scale watershed development models to 100 small-scale watersheds in mountainous areas; to raise the afforestation rate from 10 percent to over 50 percent; to raise the annual per capita income for one million people to 900 RMB yuan; to overcome illiteracy and endemic diseases.
  • To develop 66,600 hectares of idle hilly "red soil" land in eight counties in the Jitai Basin; to construct fruit bases on 11,000 hectares, fishery bases on 1,220 hectares, herbage bases on 3,300 hectares, forest bases on 20,000 hectares, commercial grain bases on 31,080 hectares, and auto-irrigated engineering on 300 hectares; to reach an income of over 1,000 RMB yuan annual revenue per capita for 2.5 million people; to eliminate illiteracy and endemic diseases.
  • To develop the plains and eliminate schistosomiasis in 25 counties of the Poyanghu Basin; to construct a 20,000 hectare fruit base, 26,600 hectare fishery base, 20,000 hectare herbage base and 40,000 hectare agri-forest base and processing industry; to reach an annual revenue per capita of over 1500 RMB yuan for 2.5 million people.

• 3.1 Develop a hundred small-scale, ecological watersheds
  • Extend experiences and methodologies of sustainable farming experiments to local authorities and farmers in the Longhuihe and Qingtanghe watersheds, through the provision of training, workshops and field demonstration projects.
  • Carry out investigations of natural and human resources, and formulate watershed development plans.
  • Grow saplings and grass seeds, and start afforestation efforts.
  • Provide commercial information to local authorities and farmers and organize agro-processing.
  • Promote services to improve education, family planning and a social insurance system for farmers.
  • Develop hydropower at small-scale watersheds. The duration of this activity will be five years.

• 3.2 Red soil, ecological development in the hills
  • Conduct evaluation and planning procedures for the Jitai Basin, and dynamically monitor the development progress.
  • Extend experiences and methodologies to local authorities and farmers through the delivery of training, and by conducting workshops and demonstration projects, based on the ecologically sustainable experiments of the Qianyanzhou station of Taihe County.
    • Grow saplings.
    • Construct fishing ponds and facilities, and grow fish.
    • Reclaim wasteland, construct an irrigation system and start afforestation.
    • Develop an auto-irrigating system.
    • Develop agro-industrial processing,and food secure system.
    • Construct roads.
    • Improve education and human health. The duration of this activity will be five years.

• 3.3 Ecological-economic development in the Poyanghu Lake catchment
  • Implement procedures of regional planning and the identify ecologically sustainable priorities.
  • Train and diffuse technologies suitable for the catchment to local authorities and farmers.
    • Develop the base for growing fish, fruits and trees.
    • Construct irrigation facilities and afforest the plain area.
    • Use natural resources from the lake beach.
    • Develop agro-industrial processing.
  • Control endemic diseases. The duration of this activity will be five years.

    This project will work during all its stages to involve the target groups in decision making processes, implementation and enforcement of policy measures. Efforts will be made to determine the target groups' short and long term interests, private and public interests, environmental perceptions and local knowledge. On the basis of these findings and earlier extension work, efforts will be made to increase public awareness to as to reinforce or introduce practices which optimize economic and environmental goals.

    The activities of this project will be implemented by the State Science and Technology Commission, and the State Planning Commission, in cooperation with the MRL Region Development and Management Committee.

• 4.1 Chinese Inputs
  • Project management
  • Database
  • Training and diffusion
  • Growing sapling, fish fry, and grass seeds
  • Engineering and facilities
  • Education and health
  • National consultants

• 4.2 International Cooperation
  • Product processed facilities
  • Training and technologies introduction
  • Engineering and facilities
  • Imported seeds
  • International consultants and study tours

About 1.6 million hectares of hilly land will be developed as a base of food, fruit, fish, and raw materials of light industry. About six million people will increase their income, and reduce their illiteracy, and endemic diseases. Soil erosion in the mountains will be decreased through 10-50 percent increase of afforestation in 3,000 square kilometres. The systems approach in regional planning will be a model for other organizations and regions in China and other developing countries.