Water and Soil Conservation:The Heart of Green Agricultural Development

April 28, 2017: Drones spray pestcides onto wheat fields in a village in Shandong Province. The eastern coastal province is actively developing ecologically friendly and highly efficient agriculture. by Zhao Yuguo/Xinhua

China's development in agriculture has overcome the shortage of farm produce. Presently, agriculture should be adjusted according to the concept of green development and the fundamental goal should be providing 1.3 billion Chinese people with healthy, safe and quality agricultural products. Water and soil conservation should be given top priority to narrow the gap causing the shortage of water and soil resources necessary to produce safe agricultural products.

First, soil quality needs to be monitored and improved. The strictest regulations on soil conservation should be implemented. Meanwhile, multiple effective measures should be adopted to improve the quality of soil.

Second, water pollution must be prevented, and clean water conserved. Suitable water conservation technology should be promoted to increase the efficiency of irrigation in the agricultural industry. At the same time, comprehensive measures should be taken to control the total amount of water usage and the efficiency of irrigation and meet the agricultural needs for quality water in accordance with the Opinions of the State Council on Applying the Strictest Water Resources Control System released in 2012. Moreover, law enforcement tasked with environment protection should be reinforced and strictly prevent factories from polluting water.

Third, diversified mechanisms for ecological compensation should be established for the conservation of water and soil resources. According to the 2016 reform plan jointly released by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance on ecology-oriented agricultural subsidies as well as the requirements of China’s “No.1 Central Document” in 2017, compensation should cover all areas conducive to the safety of agricultural products such as resources, industrial development and waste recycling, to improve mechanisms for ecological compensation, conserve water and soil for agricultural use and comprehensively develop agriculture in a green manner.

The author is director of the department for research on the agricultural environment and ecological economy of the Rural Development Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).