Integrated Farming Systems at Different Scales 453expanse of plains and hills, this region is an ideal environment for the development
of tropical cash crops. But there are some unfavourable climatic factors for the
development of such crops, including occasional low temperatures in winter, sea-
sonal dry spells and strong winds. These can be prevented or alleviated to a certain
extent by artificial measures. Protecting the environment, conserving land resource
and developing IFS using a combination of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and
animal husbandry, are the goals of eco-county construction.
- Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau region
The Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is the highest in the world and covers the whole
Tibetan Autonomous Region, most of Qinghai Province, the western part of
Sichuan Province, north-western part of Yunnan Province, south-western area of
Gansu Province and the southern border area of Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
This region is characterized by its altitude, vastness, diversity and fragility. How-
ever, economic development is somewhat backward. The general aims for con-
struction of an eco-county are to develop the regional economy by reforming the
current crop-oriented cultivation to a three-dimensional economy by expanding
the proportion of animal husbandry and forestry while strengthening nature con-
servation.
Construction of Shelterbelt Systems
China is a country with fragile ecosystems and suffers various and frequent disas-
ters: north and north-western China is poor in natural resources and suffers fre-
quent natural disasters such as floods, droughts, wind storms and soil erosion,
which have caused tremendous threats and damage to agricultural production. In
order to prevent and mitigate damage caused by disasters and improve agricultural
production, the Chinese government has undertaken macro-scale shelterbelt con-
struction in north-east and north-west China, the upper and middle reaches of the
Yangtze River basin, the coastal zone and the plain region, together comprising the
four biggest ecological engineering projects in China.
‘Three North’ forest protection engineering
Introduction
‘Three North’ includes the north-western, north and north-eastern region of
China. This area is characterized by an arid or semi-arid climate. The ‘Three North’
region is not only abundant in natural resources but also rich in national heritage,
with a long history. According to historical records, the region was once covered
with dense forests, fertile grasslands and farmlands but, due to the wars of succes-
sive dynasties and other reasons, the ecological environment deteriorated year after
year, causing serious sandstorms and soil erosion. Agriculture production and