ADB Supports Income Raising for Poor Farmers in PRC's Henan Province
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting a project of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to help poor farmers adopt new ways of crop and farm management practices in cultivating fruit tree crops in Sanmenxia Municipality of Henan. ADB will provide $66.7 million in loans and $400,000 in grants for a $135.6 million project to adopt a farm-to-market value chain approach that creates value for poor farmers, local agro-enterprises and consumers. The project will cover 30 townships, 215 villages, and about 250,000 farmers in Sanmenxia Municipality. The project will introduce improved crop and farm technologies and cultivation practices on 16,330 hectares in fruit tree crops and high value vegetable production bases. More effective utilization of fertilizers and agrochemicals will be achieved through improved access to soil and water testing facilities. A pilot biogas program covering 2,000 households will increase the supply of organic fertilizers, while conserving other sources of fuel and improving household conditions. Agriculture in the project area is based almost entirely on smallholder farming. Most farmers growing cereal crops still use traditional farming practices. The persistence of these farming practices presents a major threat to the area’s natural resource base as a result of inefficient water use, soil erosion, and overuse of fertilizer and agrochemicals. Farmers have limited access to markets or the technology required to introduce more economically and environmentally sustainable practices and diversity into more productive, higher-value crops. Sanmenxia Municipality has witnessed high economic growth in the past years due partially to an increase in the area and production of fruits as a result of growing domestic and export market demand. “Poorer farmers, who generally farm on marginal, sloping land in hilly areas and devote a greater proportion of their land to food consumption needs, have not enjoyed the same level of access to market outlets, or the same income-earning opportunities. This is reflected in an increasing rural-urban income gap,” said Qingfeng Zhang, Senior Water Resources Engineer of ADB’s East Asia department. About ADB | 
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