General Secretary Xi Jinping is concerned about building a solid foundation for a bumper harvest | hiding grain in the ground, hiding grain in the technical red line | cultivated land | Xi Jinping

June 25 this year is the 33rd National Land Day, with the theme of "saving and intensive land and strictly observing the red line of cultivated land".

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that "comprehensively consolidating the foundation of food security" and "firmly guarding the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land, gradually turning all permanent basic farmland into high standard farmland".

From the granaries in the Central Plains to the black soil in Northeast China, from the Sichuan Basin to the water towns in Jiangnan, various regions have deeply implemented the policy of storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology. The construction area of high standard farmland has steadily increased, and the comprehensive supporting facilities of fields, soil, water, roads, forests, electricity, technology, and management have significantly improved the sustainable utilization level of farmland and the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture. This has created favorable conditions for consolidating the foundation of food security and accelerating the construction of an agricultural power.

General Secretary's Instructions

In December 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the standing Committee of the political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to study the work of agriculture, rural areas and farmers and delivered an important speech, stressing that "the requirements for the protection of cultivated land should be very clear, 1.8 billion mu of cultivated land must be worthy of its name, and farmland is farmland." and it must be good land ".

[Tian Chang patrols the fields and guards the red line]

In midsummer, in Fanying Village, Naodian Town, Baofeng County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, a "Field Chief System" sign with a QR code printed on it stands out in the field. By scanning the QR code, you can contact Tian Changlei Baoping of the plot.

As the Party branch secretary of Fanying Village, Lei Baoping is the "big butler" of over 2300 acres of arable land in the village. He conducts a weekly field patrol, riding an electric bike and patrolling along the edges of the fields. Once any illegal occupation or damage to farmland is found, he immediately reports it to the township and urges the parties involved to rectify it.

In October last year, Lei Baoping received a suspected illegal land occupation clue pushed by the township and immediately rushed to the scene. He found that a ginger growing farmer had dug a ground kiln covering about 40 square meters on basic farmland. Under the patient persuasion of Lei Baoping, the farmers eventually filled in the kilns themselves and restored the original appearance of the farmland.

"Nowadays, the sense of responsibility among villagers to protect farmland is becoming stronger and stronger." Lei Baoping said that the "field chief system" uses policy measures to protect the red line of farmland, truly linking the fate of the land with individual responsibility.

In Baofeng County, there are currently 320 village level field chiefs like Lei Baoping, who have become important guardians of farmland security. This is a microcosm of Henan's implementation of the "field chief system". In order to strictly abide by the red line of cultivated land, Henan has implemented the "field chief system" throughout the province since November 2020, and more than 200000 field chiefs and grid workers have claimed responsible land.

According to statistics, since 2021, Henan has investigated and dealt with a total of 8428 cases of land violations. In 2021, the net increase in arable land was 477400 mu, reversing the severe situation of continuous decline in arable land.

"I am not only guarding the fields, but also ensuring food security. This is the lifeblood of farmers' survival, and I will continue to guard it," said Lei Baoping.

General Secretary's Instructions

In July 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping said earnestly during an inspection tour in Jilin, "The black soil is high in yield and is also facing the problem of overdraft of land fertility. Effective measures must be taken to protect the black soil, the 'giant panda in the arable land', and leave it to future generations."

Guarding the Giant Pandas in Farmland

From positioning monitoring, data collection, soil runoff sample collection, to transporting soil samples back to the laboratory for air drying, grinding, sieving, and measurement of various indicators... Li Jianye, assistant researcher of the "post-85" in the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, is meticulous in every link of black land protection research.

The black soil in Northeast China is rare and precious, and is known as the "giant panda in cultivated land". "In the past few years, the grain production in Northeast China was increasing steadily. However, due to various factors such as long-term excessive cultivation and utilization, climate change, and intensified soil erosion, the black soil has become thinner, harder, and thinner." Li Jianye said.

In order to dynamically grasp the situation of black soil loss, he uses rain as a command. After each rainfall, he needs to go to the field runoff community and checkpoint station for sample collection and water level monitoring. Day after day, his team accumulated valuable first-hand information.

After years of research, Li Jianye's team has proposed a village wide promotion plan for the protection and utilization of black soil, with small watersheds as the unit and the construction of "storage, diversion, and drainage" water systems as the core, which includes "agriculture+biology+engineering". This plan can achieve soil erosion prevention and control, improve soil fertility, and enhance the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture.

Hailun City, Heilongjiang Province is located in the hinterland of the Songnen Plain and is a typical core area of black soil. On a sloping farmland in Guangrong Village, Qianjin Town, there is a layer of dark soil covering it. The terrain is high on both sides and low in the middle.

"In the past, when it rained, the water on both sides converged to form runoff in the middle, washing out a erosion ditch that was hundreds of meters long and dividing the field into two parts, making it difficult for large agricultural machinery to operate." Li Jianye said that through straw landfill and reclamation technology, the team set up infiltration wells at the head of the erosion ditch, and the water flowed away through underground water pipes, thus avoiding the formation of surface runoff and effectively preserving soil and water.

"The protection of black soil is related to national food security, and it is our duty to protect the 'giant pandas in arable land'," said Li Jianye.

General Secretary's Instructions

In December 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed at the Central Rural Work Conference that "to preserve arable land, we should not only preserve quantity, but also improve quality. The construction of high-standard farmland is an important starting point, and we should unswervingly grasp it, improve the standard and quality of construction, and truly achieve high and stable yields in drought and flood".

[Field Change "Intelligence" Makes Grain Yield Stable and Increase Production]]

"Our farmland here is now a 'smart field'," said Wang Lei, a grain grower in Dancheng County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province, pointing to the renovated high standard farmland. There are Internet of Things control centers, meteorological observation stations, and various water-saving irrigation equipment in the fields... "These are all 'magic weapons' for stable and increased grain production." Wang Lei said.

In the high standard farmland demonstration area where Wang Lei is located, there are 7 types of irrigation methods, including fixed, coiled, and retractable. The big data Internet of Things can automatically prevent and control pests and diseases, automatically detect land fertility deficiencies, and automatically remind of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium deficiencies.

"Black technology" approaches, and mobile phones become "agricultural tools". Thanks to the construction of a high standard farmland demonstration zone, Wang Lei bid farewell to the time-consuming and laborious flood irrigation while drinking tea and remotely controlling the sprinkler equipment using a mobile app in a simple care room by the field.

At the Smart Agriculture Information Center of the High Standard Farmland Demonstration Zone in Dancheng County, the large screen displays information such as seedling, soil moisture, and insect infestations, allowing for remote real-time image retrieval of farmland at will. By monitoring tens of thousands of acres of farmland through a single screen, scientific and intelligent farming has become a reality.

Since the autumn harvest last year, Henan Province, a major agricultural province, has launched a major agricultural infrastructure construction project: based on the existing construction of high standard farmland, it plans to build a 15 million mu high standard farmland demonstration zone in three years, achieving the "three highs, one strength, and one excellence" construction goals of high scale operation, high level of modern equipment and intelligence, high improvement of farmland fertility, strong disaster prevention and reduction capabilities, and excellent agricultural product output quality.

As of August 2022, Henan has built a total of 75.8 million mu of high standard farmland, and more and more "sky gazing fields" have become high-yield fields for drought and flood protection.

General Secretary's Instructions

In June 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during an inspection tour in Sichuan, "The Chengdu Plain has been known as the" Land of Abundance "since ancient times. It is necessary to strictly abide by the red line of arable land, protect this treasure land of grain production, and grasp grain production. A higher-level" Tianfu Granary '".

[small fields and wild fields become fertile fields]]

In Zhongjiang County, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, the Longquan Mountains stretch and undulate from north to south.

"How scattered were the fields in the past?" Young farmers born in the 1990s often pointed to the mountainside and said, "The land in front of me was composed of more than 60 scattered fields, and the largest field was only 7 parts. The fields squeezed against the ridges, making it difficult to pass through large machinery. Grain cultivation relied on natural harvesting."

Now, in the high hills of Changhe Village, these scattered fields of over 60 have been concentrated and connected, forming a large field. After the mechanization transformation, the field has been equipped with facilities such as roads and water pipelines, like a green jade belt that extends upwards from the mountainside. The mechanization rate of soybean and corn compound planting has reached 100%.

According to statistics, hilly and mountainous areas account for over 70% of the arable land area in Zhongjiang County. Fragmentation of land, poor roads, inconvenient irrigation, and low production efficiency have always constrained local food production. In recent years, in order to increase grain production capacity, Zhongjiang County has vigorously implemented mechanized transformation, carried out "small to large, short to long, steep to slow, and curved to straight" transformation, built solid ridges, connected ditches, and improved soil fertility.

As of the end of 2022, Zhongjiang County has implemented the mechanization transformation of 25000 mu of arable land. After the transformation, the maximum area of a single piece of arable land reached 310 mu, and the minimum area was 5.8 mu. The accessibility rate of large and medium-sized agricultural machinery reached 100%, and the production efficiency increased by more than 60%.

Guarding the "granary of the Heavenly Mansion" and "storing grain in the earth and technology" are the key. Building high standard farmland, rectifying abandoned land, and promoting mechanized transformation of farmland in hilly areas... Keeping in mind the instructions of General Secretary, Sichuan continuously "writes articles" on the land and strives to build a higher-level "Tianfu granary".

General Secretary's Instructions

In May 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during an inspection in Hebei that "the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land is a strategic issue and must be placed in an important position".

Awakening the "dormant" saline alkali land

In recent days, Zhang Zhiqing, a major grain grower, is sowing corn. The just concluded summer harvest saw another bountiful harvest of drought alkali wheat planted by Zhang Zhiqing's family: 4000 acres of drought alkali wheat, with an average yield of 356 kilograms per mu. The best plot of land produced 400 kilograms per mu, which is the best result in history.

Liziza Village, Huanghua City, Bohai New Area, Cangzhou, Hebei Province, where Zhang Zhiqing is located, is covered in saline alkali land with high soil salinity, and white salt spots can be seen everywhere on the ridges of the fields. "In the past, the yield of wheat in saline alkali land was only two to three hundred kilograms per mu," said Zhang Zhiqing. The yield was too low, and no one was willing to farm.

In order to awaken the dormant saline alkali land, Zhang Zhiqing invited agricultural technology personnel to test soil salinity, excavate salt discharge ditches, formulate scientific standards for wheat planting management, and introduce salt alkali tolerant wheat varieties.

Pointing to a piece of land not far away, Zhang Zhiqing proudly said, "We haven't grown any crops here in the past 20 years. We tried planting sorghum last year through land improvement, and the effect was good. Then we planted wheat, and this year we received 400 kilograms per acre of land."

While actively planting food crops, some places also adhere to the concept of big food, actively expanding other suitable crops in areas with high salinity and alkalinity that are not suitable for grain cultivation, and maximizing the effectiveness of saline alkali land.

"For moderate to severe saline alkali land, we are exploring the use of root system rejuvenation techniques to plant alfalfa," said Liu Zhongkuan, a researcher at the Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. In Huanghua City, they are exploring the implementation of alfalfa wheat rotation in some plots, which not only harvests feed for livestock, but also improves soil fertility to promote wheat income.

Data shows that currently, over 500000 acres of medium and low yield fields in Huanghua have become stable and high-yield fields.

China has approximately 1.5 billion acres of saline alkali land, of which approximately 500 million acres have the potential for development and utilization. In the context of low total arable land, overall low quality, and insufficient reserve resources, as one of the countries with the most saline alkali land, carrying out comprehensive utilization of saline alkali land will significantly achieve the expansion, improvement, and efficiency of arable land resources.

Awakening the dormant resource of saline alkali land and fully tapping into its development and utilization potential, various regions have been making unremitting efforts. "I believe that in the future, more and more saline alkali land will be awakened and turned into rice and grain rivers," said Zhang Zhiqing.