434 Modern Agricultural Reforms
The construction of GSES
In 1988, in order to promote sustainable development at the village level, the
GSES project was launched. A comprehensive plan was made and a series of meas-
ures were adopted.
- Planning and design
Based on the overall survey and assessment, and according to principles of IFS, a
comprehensive four-year plan for GSES development was prepared. This aimed at
promoting sustainable development with consideration for the relationship among
population, resources, environment and economic development. The targets and
the main contents of the plan included:
- Economic aspects. Readjusting the proportion of agriculture and industry and
making industrial output value 74 per cent of the gross output value of indus-
try and agriculture, and doubling annual per capita income. - Environment and resources aspects. Ameliorating soil deterioration with the
goal of increasing organic matter in topsoil to 2.5–3.0 per cent, developing
biogas and other new energy resources, integrating agricultural by-products
and organic wastes; cutting down the amount of pesticide usage, and dissemi-
nating the integrated techniques for disaster and pest control. - Enhancing treatment capacity of ‘three wastes’ (gases, water and solids) from
rural industry and making the emission amount within the limitation of the
State’s Second-class Standard, and reforesting barren hilly lands so as to raise
forest coverage to 60 per cent. - Social and cultural aspects. Setting up a hospital and sanitorium department,
building a primary school, constructing a house for the aged, improving the
original kindergarten, strengthening construction capacities by professional
training and other educational activities, and reducing population growth rate
to less than 1 per cent. - Village infrastructure. Constructing two highways and building 500 dwelling
houses.
- Major measures
In order to realize the goals mentioned above, seven major measures were taken:
1 Readjusting the agricultural structure and promoting the overall development
of ecoagriculture. The structure of agriculture of GSES was modified from the
two-component-dominated pattern (agriculture + forestry) to a five-compo-
nent balanced pattern (agriculture + forestry + animal husbandry + sidelines +
fishery). Within the composition of agricultural output value, the contributing
rate of forestry and animal husbandry was adjusted upward, while crop plant-
ing was adjusted downward and sidelines and fishery were slightly reduced. As
a result, the total output value has grown drastically (Table 18.6). In the pro-
cess of the readjustment of agricultural land use, the cultivated area of cereal