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Land Degradation of the steppe, China (Impacts of land degradation…
Land Degradation of the steppe, China
Steppe
- a dry, grassy plain
- occurs in temperate climates between the tropics and polar regions
- mostly found in USA, Mongolia, Siberia, Tibet and China
- long cold winters (-40℃) and short hot summers (38℃)
- semi-arid with 20-25cm of rain /yr
- prone to drought, strong winds and intense thunderstorms #
In the steppe area of China:
- previously occupied by nomadic pastoralists who moved around the grassland with herds of domesticated animals (horses, cattle, sheep)
- herds adapted to the natural environment
- the size of the herd was key in order to keep the natural system in balance
- growing steppe communities needed cereals and vegetables to supplement their meat and milk based diet
- they had limited trading options so they organised themselves into farming units #
- continued population growth in urban and rural areas of China meant the state offered incentives such as tax cuts to farmers in order to expand the agriculture sector and meet the food demands in urban areas
- investment by the state into agricultural technology and trade in agricultural products led to more growth in food production
- new crops like corn from North America could be grown in areas that previously couldn't support traditional Chinese crops so it brought marginal land into production
- it was driven by state objective to ensure national food security and rural stability
- it was intensified further by the use of fertilisers and chemicals and infrastructure investment #
Growth in cultivated crops gradually resulted in land degradation as the fragile steppe was overexploited by:
- OVERGRAZING as more animals than the land can support and less mobility due to changes in land tenure
- OVERCULTIVATION as grasslands removed, land degraded with chemicals and fertilisers, ploughing destroying soil structure and leading to erosion of the nutrient rich top soil
Despite the success of some land-management practices
the rate of land degradation > environmental restoration
This threatens China's overall long-term development and standard of living
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Solutions to land degradation #
Overgrazing
Strategies for prevention:
- Improved stock quality: vaccination programmes and introduction of better breeds, yields of meat, wool and milk can be increased without increasing the herd size
- Better management: reducing herd sizes and grazing over wider areas would reduce soil damage
Problems and drawbacks:
- Vaccination programmes improve survival rates, leading to a bigger herd
- Population pressure often prevents these measures
Overcultivation
Strategies for prevention:
- Use of fertilisers: can double yields of grain crops, reducing the need to bring more land into production
- New or improved crops: new crops or new varieties of traditional crops with high yielding and drought resistant qualities could be introduced
- Improved farming methods: use of crop rotation, irrigation and grain storage can all increase and reduce pressure on land
Problems and drawbacks:
- Cost to farmers
- Artificial fertilisers may damage the soil
- Some crops need expensive fertiliser
- Risk of crop failure
- Some methods require expensive technology and special skills