Short description of the best practice

Use plastic film mulching and under-film drip irrigation to the plantation of dates, apricot and other cash crop species to overcome sandlot water leakage and for the purpose of water conservation, increase forestation survival rate, prevention of wind harm, sand fixation in areas near Taklimakan Desert. Application of Mulched Drip Irrigation can increase forest survival rate.|

Location

Regiment 224, Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang, China|

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Valley floors
Soil texture is coarse sandy and soil erodibility is very high.
Arid

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Farming.
Local income level is very low. Per Capita Annual Net Income is CNY 2754 in Rural areas of Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang in 2010.|
State ownership and individual use rights.

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

While development of high efficiency horticulture and plantation of economic forest, this technology will produce significant benefits.|

Main problems addressed by the best practice

1. Fix drift sand.
2. Improve water utilization efficiency.
3. Reduce wind speed.
4. Solved the bottleneck problem of agriculture development in arid areas.

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

The drifting sand and wind erosion was addressed.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

1. Increase forest survival rate.
2. Save water resource.
3. Improve labor productivity and increase income.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

1. Constructed water conservancy facilities.
2. The inbedded tubing was designed.
3. Gravity drip irrigation was adopted.
1. Site preparation.
2. Install the drip irrigation equipment and establish the mulch.
3. Grasses were planted under the forest and intercropping is maximized to add vegetation coverage for wind prevention, desert fixation, control of soil erosion, soil fertility improvement and fodder production.
No answer provided.
1. Strengthen orchard tree pruning, water and fertilizer management. Maintain irrigation system regularly.
2. Make full use of outstanding light and thermal resources at the project site to select good suitable horticulture species.
3. Ancillary technical measures were adopted including date dwarfing dense plantation technique, pollution-free cultivation technology, etc. to increase production.|

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

In the outskirt of ecological demonstrative district, shelterbelt forest is lined up against the prevailing wind direction (westward and northward) at the width of 116m and in parallel with the prevailing wind at the width of 50m. Inside the shelterbelts, “narrow belt and small grid’ strip croplands are configured with standard strip land shelter forest established. The orchard grid may be configured per 250m×125m pattern and the main shelterbelt is arranged in 15-20 m width in 7-10 rows perpendicular to the prevailing wind. The belts in parallel to the prevailing wind are configured in 10-15m width in 5-8 rows. Drip irrigation for orchard trees is set in 0.5m drip hole spacing, with the 16mm inner diameter drip tubes, and a nozzle rated flow at 2.8L/h (10m pumping head as rated pressure), and working head ranges from 8 to 20m. The rated irrigation for young fruit trees is 4.73 cubic meters/ mu and irrigation cycle is 3 days. During full fruiting season the rate is adjusted to 18.31 cubic meters/ mu and the cycle is 3.5 days.|
In the outskirt of ecological demonstrative district, shelterbelt forest is lined up against the prevailing wind direction (westward and northward) at the width of 116m and in parallel with the prevailing wind at the width of 50m. Inside the shelterbelts, “narrow belt and small grid’ strip croplands are configured with standard strip land shelter forest established. The orchard grid may be configured per 250m×125m pattern and the main shelterbelt is arranged in 15-20 m width in 7-10 rows perpendicular to the prevailing wind. The belts in parallel to the prevailing wind are configured in 10-15m width in 5-8 rows. Drip irrigation for orchard trees is set in 0.5m drip hole spacing, with the 16mm inner diameter drip tubes, and a nozzle rated flow at 2.8L/h (10m pumping head as rated pressure), and working head ranges from 8 to 20m. The rated irrigation for young fruit trees is 4.73 cubic meters/ mu and irrigation cycle is 3 days. During full fruiting season the rate is adjusted to 18.31 cubic meters/ mu and the cycle is 3.5 days.|

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Forestry and Horticulture Institute, Xinjiang Agriculture Reclamation Academy|No answer provided.

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Research institute and Forestry administration

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Project Householders.
Project Householders.

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

Project householders were trained in cultivation technology, water and fertilizer management measures etc.|

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

No

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Improve labor productivity.
100,000 mu Gobi desert transformed into high quality orchard and ecological plants were recovered.|
Solved the bottleneck problem of local agriculture development.
Save water use by 40%.
No answer provided.
Fixed drift sand, reduced wind speed and improved living environment.|
No answer provided.
Promote local people’s water saving awareness.

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Disastrous weather days reduced.
No answer provided.

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

Activities and measures taken in the best practices/technology, fixed drift sand, reduced wind speed and improved living environment, so the best practice had a positive impact on climate change. |

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Yes

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

Some sand areas in Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang
Some sand areas in Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

With the corps military administration system in Xinjiang, the water saving technology is heartedly accepted by the local residents.|
The local government has formulated relevant policies, such as subsidy, tax reduction, to encourage saving water resource.|
The technology adapted to local natural and socio-economic development requirements.

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• Sub-national

Related to human resources

Lack of technical staff because of locating at remote place with unfavorable natural environment.|Participating farmers are limited.

Related to technical aspects

Farmers lack the ability of the application and promotion of the technology.