The conservational tillage area in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has exceeded 1.7 million hectares this year, further protecting the rare black soil in the area, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

Black soil is as treasured as the giant panda. The typical black soil area in Heilongjiang Province, known as China's "grain barn," is approximately 10.4 million hectares, accounting for 56.1 percent of northeast China's total black soil area.

Heilongjiang supports farmers by equipping them with no-tillage planters through an agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy. The number of no-tillage planters in the province has climbed to 34,000. Farmers also receive subsidies to motivate them to practice conservational tillage.

The practice of straw recycling and using other technologies in Heilongjiang have been recommended as solutions to promote organic fertilizers that protect black soil in China.

According to the UN Climate Technology Centre & Network website, "Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous year's crop residue (such as corn stalks or wheat stubble) on fields before and after planting the next crop to reduce soil erosion and runoff, as well as other benefits such as carbon sequestration."

(With input from Xinhua.)

(All images via VCG.)

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