North China to Return Farmland to Forests, Grassland

North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is to return 120,000 hectares of low-yield farmland in 11 counties and banners along the Yellow River to forest and pasture this year.

The central government will allocate more than 200 million yuan (some 24 million U.S. dollars) to support the work, according to regional government officials.

This is part of Inner Mongolia's efforts to implement the central government's strategy to develop the vast underdeveloped western region of the country. Improving the deteriorating ecological system along the Yellow River is a priority of the strategy.

The 11 counties and banners in Inner Mongolia will join another 160 in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province to pioneer the ecological project for experiences for overall environmental improvements in the entire upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River.

The Chinese government has listed seven autonomous regions and provinces in the west for a huge project to plant trees and grass in the upper and middle reaches of the river, the second longest of the country known as part of the origin of the Chinese nation and culture.

To implement the plan, the central government will allocate over 4.7 billion yuan (about 564 million U.S. dollars) in ten years for Inner Mongolia to return 800,000 hectares of low-yield farmland to woods and grass and plant trees in 2.5 million hectares, said the officials.

Meanwhile, local governments at various levels are working hard to take care of farmers who give up their land for the afforestation endeavor. According to the officials, the farmers are satisfied with the government compensation of 1,500 kilos of grain for each hectare of land, an amount they have never imagined the poor land can yield.

Besides, local herdsmen will own the forest and grassland they build. This policy is design to encourage more local people to turn to forestry and animal husbandry for better profits. The 29 Inner Mongolia counties and banners along the Yellow River have long suffered water and soil erosion, contributing more than 180 million tons of sand and mud to the river each year.

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