Reform & Opening Up: Farmland-to-Forest program benefits ecological system

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Two decades ago, China launched its Grain-for-Green program, by where farmland was returned to forests. It was designed to retire farmland susceptible to soil erosion and flooding. Yan'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has spearheaded the project ever since it was introduced. As CGTN's Meng Qingsheng finds out, the program has brought benefits to local communities in many ways.

Zhang Buqiang has collected sea buckthorn berries for the past 15 years.

The seasonal business produces one-third of his family's income, about 15 hundred US dollars.

Sea buckthorns are among things the local government planted 20 years ago to increase local vegetation.

The 53-year old man says the program has brought him life changes.

ZHANG BUQIANG VILLIGER OF WUQI COUNTY IN YAN'AN "Mountains here have turned green with increased vegetation, and there's no sandstorms like before. Now we have less farmland, but we can open small businesses and do part-time jobs to get more money. And collecting sea buckthorn brings us good income."

For decades, Wuqi County of Yan'an suffered from a vulnerable ecological environment.

Farmers cut down huge tracts of forest, much of it on steep slopes, and turned it into farmland, resulting in severe soil erosion.

Wang Shuxue joined the program of returning farmland to the forest the same year it was launched in 1998.

Over the years, he has helped introduce more than 20 types of trees and shrubs to increase local greenery.

WANG SHUXUE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FARMLAND TO FOREST OFFICE, WUQI COUNTY "We faced major pressure in the very beginning. Local people insisted on sheepherding and farming in the vulnerable environment. It was difficult for us to persuade them, but they eventually accepted the plan after intense coordination efforts."

MENG QINGSHENG YAN'AN, SHAANXI PROVINCE "Twenty years ago, this area was subject to sandstorms and soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and deforestation. But now, efforts of returning farmland to the forest has paid off. Its vegetation area has risen from 40 percent to the current 80 percent, making a huge difference in its ecological system."

This success has resulted in clearer skies, increased rainfall and improved biodiversity across Yan'an.

It has also helped cut the city's sediment runoff to the Yellow River by 88 percent.

WU TIE, DEPUTY SECRETARY CPC YAN'AN MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE "We have rolled out comprehensive measures to make this happen. There's policy support to ensure that locals abandon improper farming methods, but enjoy improved quality of life. We have different kinds of payment for locals, to help increase their family incomes. They enjoy a much better life than they previously did."

Thanks to the Farmland-to-Forest program, the total sea buckhorn area in Wuqi County has risen to 120 thousand hectares.

Local factories are working to expand extraction and production for its richness in vitamin C, and other healing effects.

For Zhang, it means more money for his family, and a sustainable way to benefit from the greenery project.

Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Yan'an, Shaanxi Province.