Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21.

This project is concerned with the impoverishment and increasing loss of soil fortility aridity in northern China. The project seeks to reverse these processes by supporting local households in modernizing production techniques, diversifying their arid-based economy, developing marketing machanisms, and upgrading environmental management practices. This is based on programme area 8A of China's Agenda 21 - Eradication of Poverty. It will help to improve the Ecological Sustainability of Economic Systems, Transportation, Energy Production, Agriculture, the Use of Natural Resources, the Management of Desertification and Sandy Soils, and Disaster Mitigation, as mentioned in Programme areas of Chapter 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17 of China's Agenda 21.

1. Background

The project involves a geographic area consisting of parts of Ningxia, Gansu, and Shanxi Provinces within which five exemplary zones have been identified. Geographically, the general area belongs to the loess plateau stretching to the north, and to the Yellow river basin to the south. In this so-called Yellow Soil Highland, the loess soil is potentially fertile if irrigated; however, water resources are scarce. People also suffer from shortages of drinking water. Moreover, the consumption of water for drinking purposes, limited as it may be, further reduces the water available for agriculture, and contributes to soil erosion and desertification. Soil erosion occurs in large hilly areas resulting in increasingly infertile soil and lower grain yields. The desert extends into cultivated and inhabited areas. The people are no longer self-sufficient. Unlike neighbouring arid areas, coal reserves are absent, and additional income sources are not available from mining.

In this eroded and poverty-stricken landscape, environmental management is a precondition for sustainable agricultural development. Environmentally sound industrial initiatives will diversify the local economy, providing additional income, and reducing the effects of crop failures.

Problems may arise in the future because of Northern China's multi-national character. Over forty nationalities coexist here, and conflicts over extremely scarce resources may result. Under such circumstances, developing the areas economic potential seems paramount.

Recently, the central government drafted a storm prevention plan to alleviate poverty in northern China and now is seeking foreign support to reinforce the precise formulation and implementation of this plan. Five target zones have been identified: South Ningxia, Mid-Gansu, North Shaanxi, North Hebei, and West Henan. Environmental, agricultural, and industrial activities will be directed by newly set goals and realized through intensive communication between and among local communities, local cadres and external experts.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To reverse the vicious cycle between impoverishment and environmental degradation through human capacity building in the entire project area, through the integration of the implementation of environmental conservation with agricultural and industrial development programs in five exemplary zones.
• Immediate Objectives
  • Design a long-term plan for the management of soil erosion including comprehensive advancements in arid area farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and industry in North China, along with specific plans for the five target zones.
  • Build capacity for research and technical extension services based on a dialogue with target communities in the target zones.
  • Promote international cooperation.
  • Build human resources, develop soil erosion management methods0 and produce a diversified, ecologically sustainable economy in the five target zones.

3. Activities

• 3.1 Design a long-term plan for the management of soil erosion problems and the comprehensive development of arid farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and industry in North China.
  • Conduct systematic investigations on the environment, economy, and human resources.
  • Design targets and strategies and identify target groups to promote sustainable development.
  • Design policy measures and implementation strategies.
  • Develop systems of indicators for the measurement of sustainable development.

    The duration of these activities will be 3 years.

• 3.2 Build capacity for research and technical extension services.
  • Develop capacity building for research and extension services on studies of behavioral patterns, knowledge, environmental perceptions, and interests of target communities in the exemplary zones.
  • Build human capacities for scientific research and technical extension services with regard to soil erosion management, arid area farming, forestry, animal husbandry, industry, marketing, and transportation.
  • Develop systems analysis for:
  • integrating farming and animal husbandry,
  • increasing agricultural output through an optimized use of rainfall,
  • moisture adjustment and control.
  • Develop research and extension services with a focus on a market information system, supported by software packages.
  • Strengthen the rural educational system:
  • elementary school education or nine years of education for every child.
  • technical training for every household,
  • training in market economy and marketing practices,
  • Integrate foreign advanced educational methods with local methods in practical education.

    The duration of these activities will be 5 years.

• 3.3 Promote international cooperation in the relevant fields of science, technology, and human resource development.
  • Invite foreign scientists to China.
  • Provide Chinese scientists with opportunities for overseas research study tours.
  • Send Chinese scientists to selected foreign countries for study.

    The duration of these activities will be 5 years.

• 3.4 Build five pilot zones for susutainable development and alleviation of poverty.
  • Activities affecting all five zones.
    • Base the capacity building activities on information gained about behaviour, knowledge, perceptions, and interests of target households.
    • Stimulate intensive and balanced bottom-up and top-down communication between and among target households, extension workers, and researchers.
    • -Aim extension work at optimally combining economic and environmental goals, with special attention to aridity management, farming, forestry, husbandry, industries, marketing, and transport.
    • Develop the educational system, hygiene, culture, and other social welfare services.
    • Construct rural roads, communication facilities, energy supply installations, and other infrastructure.
    • Dissiminate sustainable development practices in neighbouring parts of northern China by publicizing the results achieved in the exemplary zones.

  • The Semi-arid Guyuan county in South Ningxia
    • Develop integrated grain farming, animal husbandry, protective multi-functional forestry, and grassland agriculture.
    • Expand the cultivation of purple alfalfa.
    • Improve the quality of mutton and wool.
    • Introduce water-saving wheat cultivation techniques in the Yellow River diversion irrigation areas.
    • Improve production, processing and marketing of special Chinese crops such as wolf-berry and licorice root.

  • The Semi-arid Dingxi county in Middle Gansu
    • Develop a dry farming garden economy in arid mountains through fruit tree cultivation on bench terraces.
    • Replenish irrigation by returning run-off water to non-arable land.
    • Increase the land holdings of each household to at least three mu (1/5 hectare) of bench terrace.
    • Increase the income from animal husbandry to more than 30% of the total agricultural income.

  • Semi-arid Mizhi county in North Shaanxi
    • Develop high-production fruit trees such as pear, apricot, hawthorn, jujube, and walnut.
    • Cultivate fruits, bushes, and grasses comprehensively.
    • Develop grain and grass production for fodder.
    • Raise quality cattle for producing beef, and sheep for mutton and wool.
    • Develop animal product processing capabilities.

  • Semi-arid Weichang County in North Hebei (Weichang county was the imperial hunting garden during the Qing Dynasty.)
    • Construct a national potato stock seed base.
    • Build a system for producing high quality tubers adepted to the local, cool temperature conditions.
    • Enlarge sugar beet cultivation areas and upgrade industrial sugar processing.
    • Set up international trade for edible legume crops, good quality mutton, and animals such as deer and antelope.
    • Develop commercial animal husbandry.
    • Develop multi-function, complex forestry, including protective forest, timber forest, and fruit trees and upgrade processing of forest products.

  • Semi-humid County in West Henan
    • Curb water and soil erosion by biological means and engineering.
    • Improve different types of mountain land utilization through creating furrows, gullies, and bench terraces.
    • Use contour planting for hill-side fields.
    • Adapt to the natural biological base and improve conditions through planting forest trees, fruit trees, grain crops and cotton, and inter-cropping of sweet potato, peanut, and chinese alpine rush.
    • Develop agricultural product marketing facilities.
    • Promote international trade providing good quality apples, Chinese dates, and edible fungus.

  The duration of these activities will be 5 years. The implementing agency of this Project is the Ministry of Agriculture.

4. Inputs

5. Benefits

The environment of the five target zones will improve, as will production of grains, fruits, and livestock. The total output value of agriculture will increase by over 10% per year. Labour productivity and the input-output ratio of agriculture are to increase by 20% over current levels. By the year 2000 the per capita annual income is to reach RMB 800-1000 yuan, with a 500-550 kg per capita annual grain consumption. Improved cultivation of exotic and high quality products will assist families in increasing their incomes.