Transforming the Loess Plateau of China

Abstract

This paper aims to show the importance of land consolidation in transforming the Loess Plateau of China. The paper comprehensively analyzes how over recent decades the Grain for Green Project and Gully Land Consolidation Project jointly transformed the ecology and landscape of the Loess Plateau and the livelihood of its residents. The findings show that these two projects have achieved a balance between green protection, new land creation, and improved food security and livelihood of local people in the hilly areas of China. The paper points out that the successful transformation of the Plateau lies in a holistic approach incorporating various components of the human and natural systems. Finally, the paper highlights the necessity of retaining these two land consolidation projects as part of an ongoing policy in the mountain and hilly areas of China, changing agricultural management to suit the new relationship between humans and the land.

The Effect of the Gully Land Consolidation Project on Soil Erosion and Crop Production on a Typical Watershed in the Loess Plateau

“…The scope of the project is expected to be expanded to other suitable areas of the Loess Plateau in the future. It is estimated that by 2025, the Gully Land Consolidation Project may create 6.7 × 10 4 ha of basic farmland [78].…”

Ecosystem‐based adaptation to climate change: Lessons learned from a pioneering project spanning Mauritania, Nepal, the Seychelles, and China

“…Between 1998 and 2008 the Chinese Central Government invested ~US$29 billion in the restoration of ~30 million hectares of highly degraded land, including former agricultural land, to forests and grasslands. This investment reduced the annual input of sediment into the Yellow River from 1.6 billion tonnes to 300 million tonnes (Feng, Fu, Lu, Zeng, & Wu, 2013; Li, Du, & Liu, 2016; Lü et al., 2012). In landscapes where agricultural land was taken out of production, farmers were provided with food, living allowances, saplings, and the ownership of forests and pastures planted on their land.…”

Farming Influence on Physical-Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characteristics of Backfilled Loess Farmland in Yan’an, China

“…It also has multiple crisscrossing hills and gullies with fractured geological structures [1]. Meanwhile, the semiarid climate, with only 464.1 mm of average annual precipitation, contributes to the fragility of the ecosystem in the CLP [2]. Owing to aridity, sparse vegetation, and concentrated rainstorms, the CLP is facing serious problems of soil erosion and water loss, becoming the most vulnerable ecological environment in China [3][4][5].…”

“…In particular, since the Chinese government implemented the GFG project in 1999 to convert farmland to forests, shrubland, and grassland, the vegetation coverage rate of the CLP increased significantly, from 31.6% in 1999 to about 65% in 2017 [8], thereby reducing soil erosion and water loss to a certain extent [9,10]. Most notably, the land consolidation measures dramatically transformed the ecology and landscape of the CLP, turning it from yellow to green [2,11]. However, in recent years, Chinese scientists and government officials have noticed problems: There have been significant reductions in arable land induced by the large-scale implementation of the GFP on the Loess Plateau.…”