|
CHINA> National
![]() |
|
Protective farming can cut dust storms
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-31 10:15 Protective farming should be further expanded nationwide to help cope with dust storms, China Agricultural University said July 30, 2008. By practicing protective farming, wind erosion of farmlands could be reduced by 40 to 70 percent, the university's research found. Covering farms with straw after harvesting could effectively stop dust from rising and thus reduce the sand and silt that is blow into rivers. This could be applied in 16 provinces in northern China. "To prevent and control dust storms, the key is to control farmlands, to keep them from bareness," Li Hongwen, a professor at the university and head of the research team, said. "The deterioration of farmlands is the main cause of dust storms, as pm100, granules with a diameter of less than 100 microns, can easily be blown by winds into the air and to cities and villages where people live. "Take Beijing as an example, all dust storms are formed this way," Li said. He said covering farmlands with straw, "surface wind speed is lowered while the soil remains moist preventing granules from being blown away". Currently, protective farming is employed on about 2.3 million hectares in 15 provinces in northern China. It is expected to cover 2.6 million hectares by the end of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture said. Wang Tao, an expert on land desertification from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "Human beings have to take greater responsibility for the deterioration of land. "Protective farming should be widely encouraged." |
会昌县| 沅陵县| 隆昌县| 莫力| 乌苏市| 新源县| 临沧市| 来宾市| 梧州市| 南康市| 法库县| 金塔县| 慈利县| 农安县| 宝鸡市| 襄城县| 津南区| 乐业县| 饶河县| 尼玛县| 东台市| 贡觉县| 徐汇区| 盐源县| 阿拉善右旗| 绥滨县| 筠连县| 石楼县| 兰考县| 海晏县| 鸡西市| 沙洋县| 贵德县| 木兰县| 化州市| 广河县| 鄂伦春自治旗| 湟源县| 泉州市| 龙山县| 额敏县|