Integrated Farming Systems at Different Scales 4411 The practices of Liuminying eco-village offer a successful model for agricul-
tural modernization in rural areas of northern China.
2 IFS construction provides an effective approach to solve the problem of unem-
ployment in rural areas.
3 IFS construction plays an important role not only in offering many agro-
products and by-products, but also in enlivening the market economy.
4 In the process of IFS construction, a scientific and technical team were trained
and awareness of sustainable development was greatly stimulated.
5 IFS construction promotes the development of a green food base and creates
the environment to attract foreign investment.
6 The eco-village mitigates the differences between urban and rural areas and
strengthens their interaction.
Eco-county
Introduction
In China, county is the most elementary unit in administration. It is relatively
independent in policy making and administrative management. In general, a
county has a land area of 1000–4000km^2 with a population of 0.2–0.8 million.
Table 18.12 Economic growth of Liuminying villageYear 1982 1985 1993
Gross production (ten thousands yuan) 69 280 10,000
Net production (ten thousands yuan) 43 105 1488
Total area of fields (mu) 1900 1800 1200
Total yield of fields (10^4 kg) 89 103 120
Average yield (kg/mu) 468 572 1000
Average income per capita (yuan) 405 840 3703
Income per labour unit 750 1800 7206Table 18.13 Eco-environmental indices of Liuminying eco-villageYear 1982 1985 1993
Light energy use efficiency (%) 0.55 0.70 0.90
Ratio of output to input of artificial auxiliary energy (%) — 1.20 0.77
Ratio of organic/inorganic oxygen (%) 0.27 0.83 0.91
Ratio of nitrogen output to input (%) 0.25 0.52 0.76
Forestry coverage (%) 8.7 12.0 25.0
Ratio of economic output to its input to the total 2.66:1 1.60:1 1.18:1