After seven years of efforts, China has checked soil erosion on a total area of 118,000 square kilometers and newly created 18.9 million mu (15mu=1 hectare) basic farmland, as learned from a national working conference on water and soil conservation, March 22.

Through key projects nationwide, an annual loss of 380 million tons of soil has been prevented, with ecological environment and agricultural conditions improved and more than 12 million people lifted out of poverty.

Efforts to conserve water and soil have been going on full scale since 1998, totally with a 10.2 billion yuan special fund from the central authority, 3.6 billion yuan foreign capital and 25.6 billion yuan from local authorities and private organizations, said Liu Zhen, Director-General of the Department of Water and Soil Conservation, Ministry of Water Resources. In key project areas, per capita basic farmland increased by1-2 mu, and 0.2-0.3 mu in south China.

In 2005 the state fund will be used to consolidate completed projects, build current ones, such as to address sand and dust sources of Beijing and Tianjin, as well as start pilot projects, such as to curb black soil erosion in certain areas.

By People's Daily Online