Module 5 - China: Watershed Management Approach to Optimizing Incomes and Ecology in Poor Highlands

Although the productivity of China's irrigated areas is now among the highest in the world, progress in dryland agriculture has lagged, particularly in rainfed regions in Northwest and Southwest China. High population pressure and unsustainable agricultural practices characterize these areas. The Loess Plateau in Northwest China is one of the poorest areas. Early efforts to address environmental issues (soil erosion) of the Loess Plateau included campaigns to terrace slopes, plant trees and shrubs, and build dams in gullies to intercept sediment runoff. These interventions were not integrated with efforts to raise agricultural productivity and farm incomes. Planners and farmers now realize that land conservation is compatible with sustainable and productive agriculture and that these goals are mutually reinforcing. This strategic approach has been implemented with considerable success on more than 700,000 hectares of land in the first Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project (Loess I).

Project Objectives and Description

The Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project II aims to implement the interventions tested by Loess I in other provinces, promote sustainable development by increasing agricultural production and incomes, and improve ecological conditions in tributary watersheds of the Yellow River. Specific objectives are to introduce more efficient and sustainable uses of land and water resources and to reduce erosion and sediment flow into the Yellow River.

The project targets several of the poorest counties in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces and the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. It follows an approach of integrated planning and treatment of small watersheds and:

• Creates productive farmland for sustainable production of field crops and orchards, replacing crop area on erodible slopelands.
  
  
• Plants slopelands with trees, shrubs, and grasses to produce fuelwood, timber, and fodder, increasing the per hectare productivity on improved farmland.

The project follows a participatory approach and encourages the involvement of key local public institutions to ensure an integrated approach to interventions. Small watershed development involves the integration of forestry, soil and water conservation, agriculture, and livestock. The various interventions include terracing, sediment control structures, and irrigation for cropland improvement. Slopelands are protected by through better livestock management, afforestation, vegetative cover, and horticulture.