China has created ways to control soil erosion and desertification while developing local agriculture, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

"After four-year painstaking efforts, Chinese scientists and technicians have gained 157 items of scientific achievements covering scientific findings, patents and new products which can be used to prevent and control desertification in northern China,"said Vice Minister Deng Nan.

In one of the six demonstration bases in Daxing on the outskirts of Beijing, farmers planted 1,000 hectares of mulberries and earned a profit of more than 20 million yuan (2.4 million US dollars) a year.

In other places herbs, grapes, beet and vegetables are planted to suit varying conditions.

"We are not only protecting the environment, but improving local people's lives," said Deng, adding that farmers in the modelbases increased their annual income by about 1,000 yuan (120 US dollars) on average a year.

The other five successful demonstrations bases for the prevention and control of desertification are located in other fields around Beijing and neighboring Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Source: Xinhua