Zhaoyang, China

Implementing agroforestry and regenerative agriculture practices to improve livelihoods.

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About Zhaoyang

Helping small-scale farmers fight against land degradation in the mountainous North-East area of the Yunnan province, which has experienced large-scale deforestation due to farmland expansion and domination of monocultures.

Overview

The Zhaoyang Project in Yunnan, China was established in 2017 to help small-scale farmers diversify their revenue and fight against land degradation. The mountainous North-East area of the province experienced large-scale deforestation due to farmland expansion.

The project involves agroforestry, landscape restoration, and waste management activities. To help local communities adapt to climate change, this project regenerates degraded soils, mitigates drought, and rebuilds biodiversity-rich habitats, while also improving the livelihoods of farmers.

Chinese Herbal Plants

Through communication with the Liming Cooperative, the local Pucui cooperative learned that Chinese herbal plants can generate significant economic benefits.

To enable the development of herbal plants in the local community, the project team assisted in the purchase of several seedlings from the Liming cooperative — including Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, Gentiana macrophylla, and Aucklandia costus.

The project organized farmers in the cooperative to plant these herbs, while also inviting technical personnel to provide guidance for best practices to the local farmers.

Regenerative Agriculture

Although many farmers already understand the value of supporting natural ecosystems, PUR creates new opportunities to increase sustainability for future generations. Regenerative agriculture gives producers the tools to take action and be part of a larger solution to the climate crisis — promoting soil health, plant diversity, and ecological resilience to mitigate issues like flooding and drought.

Tree Planting

Farmers planting their recently delivered saplings.

"I understand that planting economic trees can restore the water and increase grass on the hill, where I can graze more goats."

HU Lanying, Qinggangling Township, ZY

"Hopefully the ecological trees I planted this year could help restore the water so that I can plant more fruit trees on the barren hills."

ZHAO Qingxiao, Ledegu hamlet, ZY