China, People's Republic of : Study on Building an Ecological Security System for the National Core Grain Growing Area of Henan Province

Sovereign Project | 48471-001

The technical assistance (TA) supports Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) strategic priorities in the country partnership strategy (20112015) for the PRC. It aims to promote increased agricultural productivity and improved quantity and quality of natural resources. The TA will address important objectives of the ADB Operational Plan for Sustainable Food Security in Asia and the Pacific 20112020. It is also in line with the key issues under development for PRC's Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (20162020) which includes the importance of stabilizing grain production for food security and promoting sustainable land and forestry resource use.

Project Details

  • Project Officer
    Robertson, Suzanne Kay
    East Asia Department
    Request for information
  • Country/Economy
    China, People's Republic of
  • Modality
  • Sector
    • Agriculture, natural resources and rural development
Project Name Study on Building an Ecological Security System for the National Core Grain Growing Area of Henan Province
Project Number 48471-001
Country / Economy China, People's Republic of
Project Status Closed
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Technical Assistance
Source of Funding / Amount
TA 8962-PRC: Study on Building an Ecological Security System for the National Core Grain Growing Area of Henan Province
Technical Assistance Special Fund US$ 400,000.00
Strategic Agendas Environmentally sustainable growth
Inclusive economic growth
Drivers of Change Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
Knowledge solutions
Sector / Subsector

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Forestry

Gender Effective gender mainstreaming
Description

The technical assistance (TA) supports Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) strategic priorities in the country partnership strategy (20112015) for the PRC. It aims to promote increased agricultural productivity and improved quantity and quality of natural resources. The TA will address important objectives of the ADB Operational Plan for Sustainable Food Security in Asia and the Pacific 20112020. It is also in line with the key issues under development for PRC's Thirteenth Five-Year Plan (20162020) which includes the importance of stabilizing grain production for food security and promoting sustainable land and forestry resource use.

The TA also supports the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee to build an ecological civilization' through the construction of an ecological security system which can safeguard the grain production bases, and through combining new rural construction, will improve urban and rural environment, and promote the country ecological civilization construction.

The TA impact, which is increased Henan grain production systems contribution to national food security, is aligned with the Henan Provincial Grain Production Core Region Plan 2008-2020. The outcome of the TA is improved ecosystem of the core grain cropping region of Henan Province.

The TA will have three outputs to support the achievement of the TA outcome, which are: (i) Agroforestry best practices in technical management recommended; (ii) Strategy for agroforestry development drafted; and (iii) Government and community capacity to implement agroforestry activities enhanced.

Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

Henan, along with Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, are the three core regions for grain production in the People's Republic of China (PRC). They are considered by the State Council as the primary contributors to national food security for their grain production and provision. Covering a large part of the fertile North China Plain, Henan produces the nation's highest wheat and sesame output and second highest rice output. Cropping an area of 10,081,810 hectares, Henan agriculture has seen a decline in environmental quality and growing areas with reduced fertility, soil erosion and land degradation. These constraints will need to be reversed if Henan is to maintain its grain production systems and contribute to national food security. Improving the quality of the cropping ecosystem is of highest importance.

The productivity of cropping areas can be linked to its surrounding environment, whereby high quality ecosystems have the ability to support and promote high yielding and sustainable crop production systems. A key element of a healthy cropping ecosystem is the accompanying agroforestry system. Agroforestry is the close association of trees or shrubs with crops which can be both ecological and economic and have been shown to improve crop yields and soil fertility, reduce soil erosion, conserve soil moisture, recycle nutrients, provide wind and storm protection to crops, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and increase biodiversity. Agroforestry shelterbelts were a traditional part of Henan cropping systems but have been lost or degraded due to agriculture mechanization and poor maintenance and management. Although Henan has carried out significant efforts in forestry activities, afforestation projects reforested the uplands and mountainous areas with little attention paid to the lowland cropping areas. To improve the cropping ecosystem and ensure national food security from grain production, there is a need to re-establish the agroforestry shelterbelts.

The construction of agroforestry shelterbelts aims to provide an ecological security system for grain production. Although an ancient approach, the knowledge and skills for establishing, maintaining and managing such a system has been mostly lost. There is a need to increase the awareness about the importance of such systems, their association with cropping, and the technical skills related to their management. At the policy and institutional level, agroforestry actions need to be strengthened. Falling between the agriculture and forestry sectors for management and upkeep, it struggles to compete with conflicting demands and priorities within these sectors. A development framework that can endorse the promotion and development of agroforestry, including policy support and a financing plan for agroforestry activities, is needed.

Impact

The contribution of grain production systems in Henan Province to national food security in the PRC is increased (Henan Provincial Grain Production Core Region Plan, 2008-2020)

Project Outcome
Description of Outcome

The ecosystem of the core grain cropping region of Henan Province improved

Progress Toward Outcome
Implementation Progress
Description of Project Outputs

Agroforestry best practices in technical management recommended

Strategy for agroforestry development drafted

Government and community capacity to implement agroforestry activities enhanced

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)

The final review mission was conducted during 18-20 July 2017. The final review workshop was held in two sessions to present the TA to (i) a technical review panel for final evaluation, and (ii) the provincial authorities from the rural affairs office, development and reform commission, and departments of finance, forestry, and agriculture. The workshop endorsed the proposed strategy and action plan as being highly relevant to Henan Province, timely, and in line with the national and provincial priorities. It was proposed to submit the strategy and action plan to the provincial government for endorsement.

The consultants produced a comprehensive analysis of the constraints to and opportunities for ecological security in Henan Province, which forms the basis for the ecological security strategy and implementation action plan.

Geographical Location Zhengzhou
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects
Environmental Aspects
Involuntary Resettlement
Indigenous Peoples
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation
During Project Design
During Project Implementation
Business Opportunities
Consulting Services It is estimated that the TA will require 3 person-months of international and 18 person-months of national consulting services. One international specialist (team leader and agroforestry management specialist) and six national specialists (deputy team leader and ecology specialist, institutional and policy specialist, climate change specialist, finance specialist, forestry specialist, and a training and extension specialist) will be required for TA implementation. A consulting firm will be engaged in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2013, as amended from time to time) using the quality- and cost-based selection method, with a quality-cost ratio of 90:10 due to the high technical complexity of the consulting assignment.
Responsible ADB Officer Robertson, Suzanne Kay
Responsible ADB Department East Asia Department
Responsible ADB Division Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Division, EARD
Executing Agencies
Henan Provincial Forestry Department
Timetable
Concept Clearance 13 Jul 2015
Fact Finding 27 Jul 2015 to 28 Jul 2015
MRM -
Approval 25 Sep 2015
Last Review Mission -
Last PDS Update 25 Sep 2017

TA 8962-PRC

Milestones
Approval Signing Date Effectivity Date Closing
Original Revised Actual
25 Sep 2015 20 Oct 2015 20 Oct 2015 28 Feb 2017 31 Aug 2017 29 Nov 2017
Financing Plan/TA Utilization Cumulative Disbursements
ADB Cofinancing Counterpart Total Date Amount
Gov Beneficiaries Project Sponsor Others
400,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 400,000.00 17 Jun 2022 394,565.84

Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.

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Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation

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Related Publications

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Tenders

No tenders for this project were found.

Contracts Awarded

Contract Title Approval Number Contract Date Contractor | Address Executing Agency Total Contract Amount (US$) Contract Amount Financed by ADB (US$)
Policy and Advisory Technical Assistance 8962 07 Dec 2015 NAREE International Limited (Hong Kong, China) in association with NAREE Consulting Limited (NCL, China, People's Republic of) | Unit N, 5/F, 4 Cho Yuen Street, Yau Tong Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Henan Provincial Forestry Department 226,544.00

Procurement Plan

None currently available.