Assessment of the sustainability of grain for Green in Northeast China

Abstract

Afforestation in China at the nation-scale has been promoted by the government since 1999 with the provision of subsidies to buy environmental amenities. The article concerned with the impact on local communities according to household survey data in Dunhua County, Northeast China. Forty-two of the families involved in reforestation led a worse life after the program. In particular, it was important to understand what types of families were adversely affected and what kind of factors contributed to changes in the farmers' quality of life. It was found that 58.3% of the farmers perceived that converting cropland to forest was a volunteer action, and 39% of the farmers were worried about their future after 8 years of government subsidies. The survey showed that there was an increase of non-farm income and the economic crop income in Dunhua County. This implied that some of the farmers could find alternative income resources so that the household could remain high income even when they no longer receive program subsidies. However, it is important to note that some farmers led a worse life after reforestation. When the subsidy ended, 16% of the farmers plan to re-cultivate the land. Their intention clearly has implications for the sustainability of the program's environmental benefits. It was suggested that the government should pay more attention on the quality of reforestation instead of the ambitious scale. The officials should enhance public education programs and increase public participations in the decision-making process, which could improve the acceptance of land use change. In addition, the government should increase alternative economic crop or non-agriculture opportunities to assure the program's sustainability.