Farmers Benefit from Ecologically-Developed ValleysWang Dianyou, 55, has been plowing in fields on a hill for years in northeast China's Jilin province. Until recently, he had no idea he could make more money by protecting a small valley than from planting several hundred mu of crops.Wang lives at the foot of Mount Changbai, home to a national nature reserve established in 1960 and well-known for its biological diversity. Time and again Wang has cursed the landscape of mountains and valleys for the scarcity of farmland. But Wang turned pain into gain two years ago after he and several other villagers began to plant edible wild herbs, ginseng, medicinal herbs and fruit trees in the ravine in front of his house. With the money earned from sales of these healthful products and foods, people living near Mount Changbai could easily make 400,000 to 500,000 yuan (48,120 to 60,240 U.S. dollars) a year, and also were contributing to the ecological development in the valley. Zhang Xuexi, an official in charge of the ecological protection in Baishan, a city near Mount Changbai, said that farmers have benefited most from the switch to farming products that are more ecology-friendly. Worldwide, people are choosing to protect the environment while making effective use of resources, said Professor Meng Xianzhong at Jilin University. The policy of sustainable development adopted by China in 1990s has helped more farmers realize the importance of resource protection, he said. |
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