Check-dam farmland: an effective practice to conserve soil and develop agriculture on the Loess Plateau, China

Abstract:

The check-dam farmland has envisioned benefits in recent years, such as agricultural production, land development, and environmental improvement. Usually, the check-dammed farmland supports productivity that is ten times higher than slope farmland. The 50-year analysis on two study areas in the Loess Plateau (China), Jiuyuangou and Nanxiaohegou catchment, shows that the ratios of the volumes of soil, water, and nutrients retained by check dams (compared the total volumes retained by all practices) were more than 70% and nearly 94% respectively. This result is quite interesting because the check-dammed farmland areas only account for 6% and 2% of the total conservation practices in the Jiuyuangou Catchment and Nanxiaohegou catchment. The check dam plays a vital role in greening the arid/semiarid areas; the dams provide plenty of water for the plants whether in the gullies or on the slopes and save a lot of cultivated land in virtue of the high crop yields on the check-dammed farmland.