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Arable land consolidation potential (ALCP) evaluation is an ex ante evaluation, the purpose of which is to select areas that are suitable for land consolidation projects and to support the decision-making processes of the LC Bureau. In this paper, ALCP is divided into two types - theoretical and practical. Theoretical ALCP represents the potential that can be fulfilled from a natural standpoint and has five main categories: (1) increase in available arable land area; (2) increase in agricultural productivity; (3) decrease in agricultural production costs; (4) improvement in the ecological environment; and (5) decrease in land property disputes as a result of ALC. Practical ALCP represents the potential that can be achieved. The transformation from theoretical into practical ALCP is affected by factors such as existing technology and farmer support. Moreover, in this paper an evaluation system for both theoretical and practical ALCP is established, with all evaluation indices having values between 0 and 1. The ALCP for the Daxing district of Beijing is evaluated based on statistical and field survey data, using GIS analysis and a fuzzy synthetic evaluation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The start and duration of a drought are often not easy to define. The advance and onset are usually slow and the social and economic impacts can then extend over a long period. In this study, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to describe and compare droughts in different periods and regions under different climatic conditions. The importance of the index lies in its simplicity and in its ability to identify the beginning and end of a drought event. Thus it may be a useful tool for drought contingency planning. This paper examines the SPI by evaluating its application using historical precipitation data from nine weather stations in China. Different time series data covering the period 1980 to 2011 and for differing timescales of 3, 9 and 24 months were used. The results underline the potential of the SPI to inform drought alerts and forecasting efforts as part of a drought contingency planning strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many forestry projects have been implemented in developing countries. In China, a variety of large-scale afforestation and reforestation programmes have been carried out with multiple objectives, such as livelihood improvement and carbon sequestration. As in many developing countries, these projects have been implemented in a smallholder context. This paper investigates the determinants of smallholder participation in large forestry projects. Using the case of camellia, it explores the determinants of smallholder participation using a probit regression model. To distinguish between participation in international and government-run projects, a bivariate probit regression model is used. The findings show that only 37% of households in the sample had participated in the Camellia project; a major reason for the low participation rate is perceived tenure insecurity. The results of the bivariate probit model show that the education level of the household head and household size have a positive impact on the likelihood of household participation. The more 'off-farm' activities are taken up in a household, the less likely a household is to participate in an international project. For a government project, household size also has a positive impact on the likelihood of participation. Chinese forestry is diversifying since the devolution offorestland use rights, with a majority of households hesitating to invest, while some risk investment and others depend on government subsidies. The main policy implication is that, if the Chinese government wishes to achieve its goal of 1.68 million hectares of camellia, then improving tenure security is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantitative model for assessing the spatiotemporal patterns in the growth of grain production in China between 1985 and 2008 using provincial panel data and a GIS model. The results show that the pathway for grain production relied mainly on land productivity growth as a rational response to the scarcity of cultivated land and a small peasant-based economy. Large-scale land management is the inevitable trend for agricultural development in China. In Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, promoting labour productivity accords with the requirement for the transition of cultivated land management in the future. The area of cultivated land per agricultural employee (1.33 ha) may be the reference threshold for large-scale land management. Finally, suggestions for regulations against regional cultivated land management are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates multifunctional agriculture using strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis combined with an analytic network process (ANP) method. The integrated approach is preferred because it quantifies the intensities of the respective strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and provides a more effective evaluation than SWOT or ANP used in isolation. The results show that the economic function is stronger than the residential, environmental or leisure functions in Dalishu village, Liaoning province, China. The analysis contributes to our understanding of the consequences of agricultural environmental policies for the conservation of multifunctional agriculture in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using structural equation modelling (SEM), this paper empirically tests the relationships between learning, participation, capacity building, project performance and project sustainability with reference to anti-poverty projects in rural China. The findings show that (a) project stakeholders' learning behaviour has a significant influence on capacity building, which tends to increase during the project lifespan, (b) project stakeholders' learning and participation behaviour exerts significant impacts on project performance with a decreasing tendency, (c) both project performance and capacity building have a significant influence on project sustainability, (d) learning and participation behaviours interact, and (e) both learning and participation behaviours produce indirect influences on project sustainability through mediator variables. The implications for project management are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the economic, social and ecological benefits of projects of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in China during the past two-and-a-half decades. An investigation was carried out through field visits to Jilin, Anhui, Shaanxi and Qinghai provinces and a comprehensive assessment was made of 12 IFAD projects in 13 provinces. The authors offer a systematic examination of the projects' impact on China's rural poverty reduction in five respects: food security, women and vulnerable groups, government policies on poverty reduction, state policies on rural finance, and institutional and capacity building of the Chinese government and the community. It is concluded that IFAD projects have achieved outstanding results and far-reaching impacts, and have played an important role in rural poverty reduction. Finally, with regard to policy recommendations, the authors propose that the Chinese government should: (a) continue to cooperate with IFAD for rural poverty reduction; (b) play IFAD's demonstrative role in other poor areas of China; and (c) facilitate the institutional reform of China's rural financial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuyuan county, located to the north-east of the Sanjiang Plain but excluding the Muling-Xingkai Plain to the south of the Wanda Mountain, northeastern Heilongjiang province (China), has seen rapid change to the marsh and its agriculture. In 1982, 16.9% of the county was marshland and only 0.7% was dedicated to paddy fields. By 2005, 12.9% was marshland and 7.7% was paddy field. During this period, the agricultural population in the county rose from 28.5×103to 79.4×103, and the numbers of households from 3.7×103to 26.1×103. At the same time, the price of paddy and the productivity of paddies also increased. All these pressures combined to drive substantial changes to the marsh and paddy field. This paper considers the loss of the marsh ecosystem in terms of its total value and value per unit area, and assesses the overall benefits to people from the changes in paddy production. The authors also identify the total lost value of carbon formerly sequestered in the marsh compared with the net agricultural gains. Carbon sequestration lost a value of 55.50×106Chinese Yuan (CNY; 100 CNY was equivalent to roughly US12 in 2005), which was considerably less than the value of products (272.42×106CNY) returned from the paddy fields. In terms of the benefits to society, the marsh created between 210.8×106and 266.3×106CNY, though the commercial/private benefits of the paddy field outweighed the benefits to society due to the fact that they are real while the societal benefits (although also real) have a monetary compensation that is hypothetical. Value per unit area of paddy field was much higher than that of the marsh except in 1982, before the people began to pursue more profitable private activities. Understanding the societal tradeoffs between the contributions of a wetland ecosystem and agricultural expansion is a key ingredient in successful ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares China's position with those of the major donors to the World Food Programme (WFP). It provides, in particular, an in-depth analysis of the motives of the USA and India for their large-scale food aid to the WFP. Based on the experiences in these countries and through a SWOT analysis, a new cooperation strategy and relevant policy recommendations are proposed for the policy makers of the Chinese government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the dynamics of land use patterns, contributory issues, farmers' preferences and policy implications in the Jinghe watershed of remote north-western China. Landsat TM data (using GIS) and primary data from participatory rural appraisal – a method rarely applied in China – and household surveys using weighted indices were analysed. Proportions of land use and landscape indices were applied to analyse changes in land use patterns. It was found that land use patterns remain relatively stable in the watershed region where arable land and grassland predominate, a situation that has not changed structurally for 10–20 years. In villages, however, structural changes in landscape patterns occurred with transitions from predominantly arable land to forest and grass. High values for dominance and contagion indices were found in counties with relatively simple land use patterns or agricultural land use, while low values for dominance and contagion indices were associated with diversified land use involving agriculture, forest and grassland. Government intervention, market demand, personal considerations and growing environmental concerns are perceived by farmers as major factors leading to land use change. The local people prefer to grow food crops to ensure food security rather than to manage forest and grassland. This calls for a comprehensive natural resource conservation strategy, which should be based on building resource conservation into policy making; institutional reform with local participation; promotion of indigenous technology for resource conservation and management; and population control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]