Integrated Farming Systems at Different Scales 431- The structure of homestead gardens is usually simple and the management
level is very poor. Many profitable plant and animal species have not been
introduced into the system and many advanced techniques have not been
adopted. Therefore, the trees grow poorly, fruit trees and animal outputs are
low, and biogas production is inefficient. - Environmental quality of rural areas is subject to inadequate homestead gar-
den ecosystem management. In the ecosystem, oxen, pigs, chickens, ducks,
dogs, cats and humans live together in a small courtyard. Some common
diseases may possibly spread. In the humid tropical and subtropical areas, a
high plant density on homesteads can cause fungal diseases, especially dur-
ing the rainy seasons. Sometimes, faulty utilization of wastes causes pollu-
tion.
Eco-village
Introduction
As the concept of sustainable development has spread across the world since the
1980s, a vehement campaign for Ecological Demonstrative Rebuilding for Sus-
tainable Settlements (EDRSS) has taken place in China and many projects for
ecopolis, eco-county, eco-village, as well as eco-householders were initiated and
carried out across the country. The EDRSS projects were aimed at implementing
the principles of IFS to the practice of local development and to explore further
specific operational approaches to achieve sustainable development at different
levels. Recently, great progress on EDRSS projects has been made, and eco-villages
are conspicuously emerging as fruitful examples, displaying some valuable experi-
ence in human ecological rebuilding.
Main types
The eco-village is a special kind of ecological engineering, in which primary pro-
duction, secondary production and cottage processing industries are integrated
into a self-regulating sustainable system at the village/township or agriculture/
breeding farm level. Different combinations and structures have been developed in
accordance with different physio-geographical and social conditions. In China,
there are many successful examples of eco-village construction. A number of
projects have received awards for ‘Best Eco-village’ at national and international
levels. In general, according to the combination of different sectors, we can classify
them into six models:
1 Combination of agriculture and cottage industry. Liumingying eco-village is a
good example of this and will be described later in the case studies.