 The dry and remote Loess Plateau region in China – an area the size of Belgium (640,000 square km) – is home to more than 50 million mostly very poor farmers. Centuries of overuse in these arid lands have led to massive environmental degradation and widespread poverty. With the highest erosion rates anywhere in the world – 1.6 billion tons of sediment annually clog up the Yellow River – crop yields are very low and people live in near subsistence condition. In 1994 the World Bank funded one of the most successful conservation projects in the world, which improved the local environment, but also boosted the livelihoods of more than 1 million farmers. The number of people living in poverty in the region dropped from 59 percent in 1993 to 27 percent in 2001 and almost 3,000 square kilometers of eroded land was terraced. The restoration project worked closely with local farmers to build terraces, plant shrubs and trees, install irrigation and sediment control dams, and provide training and education on erosion control. This watershed restoration project is now being replicated across China, with continued success. More information:
 Â Â Agriculture and Rural Development in China
 Environment in China
 Supporting Environmental Management in China
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