Q213 What is a drought-to-water conversion project?
The seventh article of the "Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035" proposes that it is necessary to adhere to the strictest cultivated land protection system, strengthen the protection of the quantity and quality of cultivated land, strictly abide by the red line of 1.8 billion mu of cultivated land, curb the "non-agricultural" and prevent "non-grain" of cultivated land, standardize the balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation, and strictly prohibit the use of superior and inferior and paddy fields to supplement dry land. This fully highlights the importance that the mainland attaches to paddy fields.
As a large agricultural country, China is facing challenges such as uneven distribution of water resources, frequent droughts and floods, adjustment of agricultural industrial structure, demand for ecological and environmental protection, and pressure on food security. Through the implementation of the drought-to-water project, we can make full use of the limited water resources, improve the efficiency of agricultural production and the quality of the ecological environment, and promote the sustainable development of the agricultural industry.
1. Definitions
To put it simply, to convert dry land into more productive and higher-value paddy fields. Mainly in arid and semi-arid areas, through revitalizing idle rural homesteads, barren mountains and wastelands, adopting comprehensive measures such as soil improvement, high-efficiency water-saving irrigation, and field road construction, we will build fertile land that is easy to cultivate, mainly for rice cultivation, increase the area of cultivated land, increase grain production capacity, and form a stable production capacity, which is conducive to increasing agricultural output and peasants' income, and ensuring that grain is stored in the field and in technology.
Second, the main participants and construction content
(1) The main participants in the drought-to-water conversion project
Government departments (planning, guidance, supervision, financial support, etc.), planning and natural resources departments, agricultural cooperatives (organization participation, promotion of technology and experience), landowners (direct beneficiaries, key responsible persons for land management), water conservancy project construction units, social investors, environmental protection organizations, etc.
(2) The main construction content of the drought-to-water project
Land leveling (e.g., field leveling, topsoil stripping and backfilling, ridges, land ploughing, land fertilization, etc.), irrigation and drainage projects (e.g., new drainage ditches and irrigation canals, construction of irrigation stations, etc.), field road construction, farmland protection, ecological environment restoration, farmland power transmission and distribution, and other supporting facilities.
3. Project application conditions and prohibited site selection areas
(1) Declaration conditions
1. The government attaches great importance to the clear and non-controversial ownership of the land, and obtains the consent of the land owner and the land contracting and management right holder;
2. In principle, the project takes the administrative village as the basic implementation unit, each administrative village should be adjacent, the construction scale shall not exceed 2,000 hectares in principle, and the land included in the construction scale shall be relatively concentrated and contiguous;
3. The construction scale of the project shall be the sum of the various land types participating in land consolidation in the demonstration area, including cultivated land, rural roads, ditches, pit pond water surface, field ridges, other grasslands, bare land, etc.;
4. The project site selection area should meet the requirements of no more than 2,000 meters above sea level in principle, the terrain slope is generally less than 15 °, and the maximum is not more than 25 °, with road accessibility, water source guarantee and power guarantee conditions;
5. Other relevant regulations of provinces, cities and regions;
(2) Prohibited site selection areas
1. Sloping cultivated land with a slope of more than 25° in the third national land survey (excluding terraces);
2. Within the ecological protection red line (including nature reserves), the ridgeline area at the top of the high mountains and distant mountains, and other sensitive areas for ecological protection, key areas, and areas with strict control of soil environmental quality of agricultural land;
3. Within the boundaries of urban development determined by territorial spatial planning;
4. Areas for returning farmland to forest (grassland), wetland protection areas, river and lake management areas, reservoir water surfaces, important water sources and related protection areas:
5. Other areas prohibited by laws, regulations and rules.
In addition, it is important to note that:
(1) Sandy soil, water and fertilizer leakage plots are not suitable for planting rice;
(2) If there are corn fields around the plots that have been changed to water early, the paddy fields should be set up in the upstream of the corn fields, so as to avoid the dry field water from rushing into the paddy fields when it rains, causing herbicide damage.
Fourth, the required procedures for project declaration
To apply for a drought-to-water project, in principle, it is necessary to obtain the "Land Use Right Certificate", "Water Quality Testing Report", "Project Planning and Design Report", "Environmental Impact Assessment Report", "Construction Project Approval Opinion", "Land Reclamation Plan Report" and other procedures. In addition, according to the relevant regulations of each city, other materials may need to be prepared, such as: "Project Feasibility Study Report and Summary", relevant policy documents issued by local governments, application reports, various plans, supporting materials, etc.
Before submitting your application, please be sure to check the relevant regulations of your local government department to ensure the completeness and correctness of the application process. The requirements for required and supplementary documents may change depending on the region.
5. Project implementation process
Generally speaking, the whole process of the implementation of the drought to water conversion project from the project declaration to the project acceptance takes about 1-3 years, and the specific construction period depends on the project scale, formalities, construction conditions and other factors. At the same time, there are also certain regional differences in the project application and approval process.
Throughout the implementation of the project, special attention should be paid to:
(1) Strict site selection and project approval. It is necessary to carry out field survey and site selection on the basis of the results of the third national land survey and the latest annual change survey, and the plots involving the reclamation of paddy fields should have clear locations, accurate land types, and clear ownership, so as to ensure that the quantity of new paddy fields is true and the quality is reliable. It is necessary to avoid areas with relatively fragile ecology, such as nature reserves and returning farmland to forest (grassland), where water sources cannot be effectively guaranteed, and where pollution is serious and difficult to control, shall not be included in the scope of reclamation of paddy fields.
(2) Strict implementation of the project. It is necessary to strictly follow the relevant national and regional regulations to standardize, high-quality, and efficient the implementation of paddy field reclamation projects. It is necessary to strictly abide by the time limit requirements for the start and completion of the project, and give full play to the financial benefits. Strictly control the change of planning and design, and if it is really necessary to change, the relevant regulations and procedures should be strictly followed, and "post-event change" is strictly prohibited. The Department of Natural Resources will study and issue technical guidelines for paddy field reclamation projects as soon as possible, and improve the standard system for the construction of paddy field reclamation projects.
(3) Strict acceptance and filing. It is necessary to strengthen the management of acceptance work, strictly check the contents of site selection and project approval, project construction, the number and quality of cultivated land, and design changes, resolutely put an end to fraud, favoritism, and other situations, and strictly approve the new paddy fields. It is necessary to complete the filing of indicators in the national dynamic supervision system for the balance of cultivated land occupation and compensation in a timely manner, and include them in the daily land change investigation.
(4) Strictly manage utilization. In accordance with the work goal of "building well, managing well, and benefiting from the long term", we should strictly implement the relevant regulations, implement the post-monitoring and management responsibilities and management funds, and focus on monitoring the damage to infrastructure, the abandonment of new paddy fields, the change of planting attributes, and the illegal occupation, so as to achieve early detection, early stopping, and early rectification.
6. Channels for applying for project funds
As an important measure to promote the sustainable development of agriculture, the application channels for drought to water are diversified and extensive. Raising funds through a variety of channels can provide a strong guarantee for the smooth implementation of the drought-to-water conversion project.
The government arranges special funds through the financial budget to support the planning, design, construction and management of drought-to-water conversion projects.
The Agricultural Development Fund and the Water Conservancy Construction Fund are special funds specially set up for agricultural development and construction and water conservancy infrastructure construction. It comes from multiple channels such as national finance, local governments, financial institutions, and departmental self-financing, and is mainly used to support agricultural science and technology innovation, agricultural industrial structure adjustment, and rural infrastructure construction.
The issuance of bonds is currently the key financing method chosen by many government departments and owners, such as applying for local government special bonds, and applying for funds in the field of "agriculture-high-standard farmland" for drought-to-water projects.
Bank loans are an important part of the funding source for drought-to-water conversion projects. In recent years, agricultural projects, especially those that can generate operating cash flow and considerable returns, fall within the scope of projects supported by major banks.
Villagers are the direct beneficiaries of the drought-to-water conversion project, and they can also participate in the construction and operation of the project through self-financing. Governments often provide subsidies and incentives to encourage farmers to actively participate in drought-to-water projects.
Other sources of funds include enterprises, social groups, individuals, etc., through direct investment, cooperative operations, donations, etc. The participation of some social capital can not only provide financial support for the project, but also introduce market mechanisms and management experience to promote the sustainable development of the project.
7. Difficulties in project implementation
The drought-to-water project is an important means to ensure food security and sustainable ecological development, but it faces many problems and challenges in the implementation process, such as water shortage, land salinization, ecological damage, and poor willingness of villagers.
In case of water shortage, measures such as opening up sources and reducing water flow, rainwater collection, preventing water pollution, rationally setting water prices, trans-regional water transfer, and publicity and popularization can be adopted to improve the efficiency of water resource utilization.
Land salinization can take measures such as drainage and salt washing, promotion of rotational tillage system, biological improvement (for example, selecting plants with strong salt tolerance for planting, and reducing soil salt content through plant absorption of salt in the soil), chemical improvement (commonly used chemical amendments include gypsum, sulfur, etc.).
Ecological damage needs to be restored and reconstructed (vegetation restoration, wetland protection, wildlife protection, etc.), circumvention of specific areas (ecological protection redline areas, nature reserves, drinking water source protection areas, urban development boundaries, and areas where farmland is returned to forests), improving relevant laws and regulations, strict supervision, and cross-regional collaborative governance.
In addition, obtaining the positive wishes of the villagers is also a necessary prerequisite for the implementation of the drought-to-water project. Generally, through policy publicity and education, benefit sharing and compensation, villagers' participation in decision-making, display of successful cases, enhancing trust and communication, providing skills training, improving living conditions and promoting sustainable development, etc., the villagers' positive willingness and support for the drought-to-water conversion project are obtained.
8. Relevant cases
Case 1: (Lixin, Anhui) "Drought to water", harvesting wheat and rice in a field
Before the implementation of the drought-to-water project, Suwan Village had more than 3,000 acres of dryland, and wheat, corn, soybeans and other dryland crops were planted twice a year, but the yield of corn was unstable, and the income per mu was less than 1,000 yuan. In May 2021, the cultivated land improvement and transformation (drought to water) project implemented in Zhangou Town involved 3 villages that signed land transfer contracts, and nearly 20 professional cooperatives participated in the operation. Through land leveling, dredging of large and medium ditches and the construction of control gates, pumping stations, bridges, channels, roads, etc., more than 9,200 acres of thin field dry land have been "renovated".
Since the implementation of the "drought to water" project, Suwan Village, Zhangou Town, has no longer planted corn and wheat, but has planted rice. The output value of "wheat + rice" in a year is more than 3,300 yuan per mu, and the income is more than 700 yuan higher than that of "wheat + corn", and rice planting has increased the annual income of the whole village by more than 2.6 million yuan, which has significantly improved the quantity of cultivated land, cultivated land quality, grain output, planting income and land output efficiency. The "loss-making field" has become a high-yield field, and it has truly realized the storage of grain in the ground and the storage of grain in technology.
Case 2: (Changchun, Jilin) "Dryland Rice Flower Fragrance"
For a long time, Jilin Province's agricultural production has to rely on the weather to a certain extent, so it has been plagued by drought and water shortage from time to time, and the contradiction between water shortage and economic and social development is more prominent. In 2017, Xihu Village in the town declared 40 hectares of "drought to water", and with the completion of relevant approvals, 300 hectares will be "drought to water" through artesian irrigation. The high-standard farmland construction projects of the former Taiping Village and Fengshou Village will be converted from drought to water by 500 hectares through cooperatives. It can also "change drought to water" of 500 hectares in villages with abundant groundwater, and at that time, one-fifth of the town's cultivated land will be "changed from drought to water".
The main construction content includes: paddy field planting, construction of field roads, bridges, water storage wells, power facilities, drainage and irrigation projects, while the town is making every effort to promote characteristic planting and breeding on the basis of drought to water, including pig breeding, rice field crab farming, etc.
At present, the water storage of reservoirs in many villages in the province is better than that of the previous year and better than that of the normal year, and the "drought to water" has changed into high-quality rice and high-quality rice field crabs. Through the "drought to water" to set up a base specializing in the "Jiyi" variety of rice, the paddy field increased from 2 acres to 10 hectares, although the rice per mu is less than 700 catties, but the market price is generally about 8 yuan per catty, and the highest price in the shopping mall is sold to 20 yuan per catty. Pig breeding and rice crab farming also provide more sources of income for local villagers.
9. Summary
Drought to water supply is a livelihood project, which coincides with the current national development strategy. According to local conditions, priority should be given to plots with good natural conditions, especially those that are concentrated and contiguous and suitable for large-scale reclamation, into the plan for reclamation of paddy fields. Through the comprehensive management of water, fields and roads, we will build an agricultural production base that is easy to cultivate and can ensure income in drought and flood, ensuring that "roads are connected, canals are connected, drought can be irrigated, and waterlogging can be drained", so as to achieve the goal of improving the quality of cultivated land and optimizing the agricultural layout.
In accordance with the work requirements of subsidizing land by occupation and subsidy, the project not only improves the agricultural production environment, improves the quality level of cultivated land, but also increases the space for urban development, and increases rural employment opportunities and farmers' income through innovative methods, which is of great significance for deepening the implementation of the country's targeted poverty alleviation, alleviating the pressure of protecting cultivated land and balancing land occupation and compensation, and promoting rural revitalization and urban-rural integrated development.
1. Land Management Law of the People's Republic of China
2. Regulations for the Implementation of the Land Management Law of the People's Republic of China
3. Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Strengthening the Protection of Cultivated Land and Improving the Balance of Occupation and Compensation (Zhong Fa [2017] No. 4)
4. Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Effectively Strengthening the Construction of High-standard Farmland and Improving the Ability of National Food Security (Guo Ban Fa [2019] No. 50)
5. Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Issues Concerning the Strict Control of Cultivated Land Use (Natural Resources [2021] No. 166)