ADB to supports agriculture, environmental protection along Yangtze River

“Pollution from industry and poor farming practices has degraded the land and water quality in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, causing about $37 billion per year in agricultural productivity losses,” said ADB Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist Ms Suzanne Robertson.

The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million loan for a project that will promote sustainable agriculture systems and protect the ecology in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River Basin in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

ADB's assistance—which benefits the provinces of Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Yunnan, as well as the Municipality of Chongqing—supports the PRC government's Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Plan, 2016–2030. The plan prioritizes ecological protection and the promotion of green development in the longest and one of the most important rivers in the country. ADB expects to provide $2 billion over 2018–2020 to support the plan.

"Pollution from industry and poor farming practices has degraded the land and water quality in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, causing about $37 billion per year in agricultural productivity losses," said ADB Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist Ms Suzanne Robertson. "ADB's assistance will help address these issues, improving livelihoods of the people in the project areas and the overall ecological health of the Yangtze River Basin."

The Yangtze River Green Ecological Corridor Comprehensive Agriculture Development Project will finance the construction and provision of modern farming systems in the project areas. For instance, 1,326 kilometres (km) of irrigation and drainage infrastructure, which can service 32,900 hectares (ha) of farmland, will be constructed along with 3,535 water storage ponds. It will also provide equipment and materials to implement sustainable and modern farming practices, including farm machinery and greenhouses.

In addition, the project will improve waste and environment management systems such as promoting the collection of plastics, building biogas plants to deal with animal waste, and promoting the use of organic fertilizers.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) covers nine provinces and two specially administered cities within the Yangtze River Basin. YREB accounts for over 40% of the PRC's population and provides 40% of the country's freshwater resources, which includes drinking water for 400 million people. It also provides 60% of total national fisheries production and contributes 45% of the PRC's economic output.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totalled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in co-financing.