Up to October 31 of 2006, among all investigated land area of 31 provinces (autonomous regions or municipalities) across China, 9.858 billion mu (69.1%) were farmland, 485 million mu (3.4%) were construction land and 3.917 billion mu (27.5%) not in use. Per capita farmland was 7.50 mu and construction land 0.37 mu. Among the farmland, 1.827 billion mu were arable land, 177 million mu of vegetable and frute tree land, 3.54 billion forest land, 3.929 billion mu grazing land and 383 million mu other kind of farmland. Among the built land, 395 million mu were residential communities and separate plants and mines; 36 million mu for transportation and 54 million mu for water conservancy facilities.

In 2006, arable land across China had net reduction of 4.602 million mu. Among them, gross loss of arable land was 10.11 million mu (3.878 million mu for construction; 2.51 million mu of them for the construction work in 2006, and 1.368 million mu having been used for construction in the past few years without reporting the change; 538,000 mu destroyed by natural disasters; 5.091 million mu restored as grassland and forest; and 603,000 mu reduction due to agricultural structure adjustment). A total of 5.508 million mu land had been rehabilitated as arable land. Construction sector has realized the balance between occupying of arable land and rehalitation for arable land.

Compared with that of 2005, total arable land area reduced by 0.25%;vegetable and orchard area went up by 2.33%; forest land increased by 0.16%; grazing land went down by 0.08%; residential areas and separate plants and mines land area increased by 1.30%; communications and transportation land area went up by 3.67%; and land area for water conservancy facilities increased by 0.46%.

Measures and Actions

【Investigation on Soil Pollution】In 2006, national investigations on soil pollution was launched in an all round way. SEPA held the National Teleconference on the Investigation of Soil Pollution, developed and distributed the Master Plan for the Investigation of Soil Pollution and a series of technical specifications. It also carried out topic training and publicity work. Some regions such as the Yangtze River delta, Pearl River delta, central south of LiaoningProvince and Zhuzhou of Hunan Province have finished the collection of soil samples.

【Streamlining of Development Zones】With streamlining activities, the total amount and planned area of various development zones across China had decreased from 6866 and 38,600 km2 at the end of July of 2003 to 1568 and 9949 km2 respectively in December of 2006.

【Treatment of Water and Soil Erosion】In 2006, a total of 103,200 km2 land subject to water and soil erosion had been comprehensively treated. Among them, 41,700 km2 were under comprehensive treatment; and 61,500 km2 were enclosed for plant growth and conservation. Among the area under comprehensive treatment, 395,000 ha had transformed to new basic farmland. 2.542 million ha land were for plant growth to control water and soil erosion; 896,200 ha land were enclosed with banning of logging; 235,100 ha land were under measures for soil conservation. A total of 5,328 small river basins had finished comprehensive control program. 235,000 small water conservancy and soil conservation structures had been constructed. 1,113 new dams had been built involving 2.22 billiom m3 of earth and stone.

【Key Water and Soil Conservation Projects】In 2006, the authority continued the key water and soil conservation projects in some regions as the upstream and mid-stream of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, sand and dust source areas for Beijing and Tianjin, black earth area in Northeast China, Nanpan River and Beipan River at upstream of the Pearl River. It initiated the World Bank loan project on water and soil conservation in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei and Chengdu. The Central Government had invested 1.457 billion yuan and finished comprehensive control of water and soil erosion of 12,300 km2. It launched the second batch national trial projects on water and soil conservation and ecological restoration with planned restoration area of 26,000 km2. In addition, it has strengthened the enclosure and protection of national key project areas and further enhanced its efforts in the supervision and management on water and soil erosion for development or construction projects.

Rural Environment

General Situaiton

The situation of rural environment is quite serious with increasingly worse soil pollution due to the combination of point and non-point pollution, demostic and industrial contamination, various new, old and secondary pollution as well as transfer of industrial and urban pollution to rural areas, which becomes a factor constraining sustainable economic and social development in rural areas of China. Most garbage was directly piled near farmland or road or even discarded into ditches and ponds without treatment, affecting sanitation and rural landscape. Most domestic water was directly permeated into ground or discharged into ditches or ponds without any treatment. The distribution of township enterprises was not appropriate with striking pollution problems. In addition, inappropriate application of fertilizers and pesticides caused pre-eminent non-point pollution in some areas. Pollution resulting from livestock and fowl breeding increased due to lag-behind comprehensive application measures.

Measures and Actions

【Drinking Water Safety in Rural Areas】The Executive Meeting of the State Council reviewed and approved the 11th Five-Year National Plan for Safe Drinking Water Project in Rural Areas at the end of August of 2006, which identifies the target of addressing safe drinking water issue for 160 million people by the end of 2010, thus reducing half population without access to safe drinking water. It is planned that 100 demonstration counties on rural safe drinking water will be developed across the country. In areas with high concentrations of fluorine, arsenic and saline in water as well as the schistosomiasis epidemic area, the authority would carry out the study and demonstration work on integrated technology for safe drinking water in rural areas in cooperation with the key science and technology projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology during the 11th Five-Year Plan period

【Environmental Protection Initiative for the Well-off Countryside】In 2006, SEPA issued the National Action Plan on Environmental Protection for a Well-off Countryside and facilitated its implementation. Centering on the goal of building a well-off society in an all round way, the Plan focuses on the following five key areas: comprehensive control of village environment; prevention and control of pollution by industrial enterprises in rural areas; control of soil pollution and rural non-point pollution sources; ensuring safety of drinking water; and prevention and control of the pollution caused by scaled livestock and fowl farming. It is expected that the "dirty, mess and poor" environment issue in rural areas will be basically solved in the next 15 years to effectively curb worsening trend of environmental pollution in countryside and improve the living and production environment in rural areas. Ministry of Finance has established the sub-item of "environmental protection initiative for the new and well-off countryside" in special environmental protection fund of the central budget. Trial work, publicity and training activities on environmental protection initiative for the well-off countryside have been carried out in 27 province, cities, districts and counties including Ningxia, Liaoning, Chengdu and Jixi.

【Development of Rural Biogass and Clean Village Projects】In 2006, the Central Government invested 2.5 billion yuan to boost the development of biogass facilities in countryside with new 4 million households getting access to biogass and the acculated amount of 22 million households. A total of 3,500 biogass facilities had been constructed with the waste of livestock and fowl as raw material.

Ministry of Agriculture carried out the activities on the clean village demonstration projects in 251 villages of 11 provinces (cities) across China in 2006. Focusing on "recycling and utilization of rural waste", the authority launched three big projects, namely, cleaning farmland, cleaning household and cleaning water sources. A total of 92,010 m sewage collection pipe, 3,802 sewage treatment cells, 200 collective sewage treatment stations, 143 garbage treatment stations, 2,895 waste recycling ponds, 1,969 compost (fermentation treatment) cells had been constructed. Rural areas have been equipped with 42,008 garbage bins (cells), 119 garbage trucks, 1,099 frequency-vibration insect killing lamps and 131 logistic management stations. With the construction and waste treatment facilities and extension of recycling technologies, agricultural non-point pollution has been effectively decreased.

【Prevention and Control of Pollution by Livestock and Fowl Farming】In 2006, the special fund for the prevention and control of pollution by collective breeding of livestock and fowl from the Central Government supported 29 projects of 13 provinces (autonomous regiona or municipalities) targeting on the pollution prevention & control and comprehensive utiolization of livestock and fowl farming wastes. The authority has actively facilitated legislation on rural environmental protection with the drafting of the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Pollution by Livestock and Fowl Farming and the Regulations on Environmental Protection in Rural Areas. It has carried out investigations and review on the above two drafts and relevant issues.

【Scientific Application of Fertilizers and Pesticides】In 2006, Ministry of Agriculture provided subsidy for fertilizer application based on soil test in 600 counties across China. The Central Governemnt allocated 700 million yuan. Combining with new farmer training program, relevant workers carried out face-to-face training and guidance at farmland. A total of 3.8 million test items (times) on 585, 000 soil samples were made. An accumulated 260 million mu of farmland have been applied fertilizers based on soil sample test findings. As a result, this is equivalent to the reduction of the application of 500,000 t (pure form) fertilizers. At the same time, the authority has accelerated the reduction and substitution of high-toxic pesticides with comprehensive banning the production, sale and application of 5 kinds of high-toxic organic phosphorus pesticides including acephatemet. It has selected, demonstrated and promoted safe, efficient and environment-friendly pesticides and their supporting application technologies. In addition, pesticide-reduction application techniques have been studied and promoted with faster pace of upgrading of application machines and equipment. Moreover, more efforts have been made to promote top quality and highly efficient pesticide application equipment to improve the efficiency.

【Comprehensive Utilization of Stalk】The authority has vigorously promoted the protective cultivation and carried out technical demonstration on mechanic returning of stalk to cropland. Up to 2006, the Central Government had invested 140 million yuan, carried out protective cultivation projects in 167 counties of 15 provinces in North China, bring about 262 provincial-level demonstration counties with accumulated project area of 20 million mu. Protective cultivation practice has reduced CO2 and dust emissions and taised soil moisture and water efficiency.

The authority continued using meteorological satellite to monitor the burning of agricultural stalks in summer and autumn across the countryin 2006. Monitoring results show that the burning of agricultural stalks in most regions was on steady decline in 2006.