Efforts to create more fertile land for farming in China have borne fruit, with scientists discovering a way to reduce soil salinity.
As the South China Morning Post detailed, China ranks third globally in the expanse of saline-alkaline land, accounting for around 247 million acres.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to grow healthy crops in this type of soil. In Wuyuan County, for example, farmers also use water from the Yellow River to irrigate crops, which can further increase the salinity that occurs naturally.
With a changing climate resulting in a rise in the length and intensity of extreme weather conditions damaging crop output, farmers need all the land they can get to maximize yields and mitigate losses.
Soil scientist Li Yuyi, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has thankfully come up with a method to make the most of salinated land. Li and his team added crop stalks underneath the soil, laying them out between 30 and 40 centimeters deep.
This method helps to prevent salt from rising to the surface. And while reducing plastic usage is generally recommended for soil health, in this case, adding a layer of plastic on top helped to retain moisture.
According to Science and Technology Daily, as cited by the South China Morning Post, this reduced salt content in soil by 36%, boosting crop yields by just under a third.
Other research has focused on pulling water from the air to help crops thrive. Meanwhile, this is not the only way scientists in China are helping to improve food security for the country's population, which is made up of nearly 1.5 billion people.
Rice, which is essential in the diet of half of the global population, has also had yields hit by erratic weather conditions. But by genetically engineering rice plants, researchers have produced a crop that can be harvested mechanically, helping to improve both yields and maintain industry-standard purity.
As the Center for Strategic and International Studies detailed, China is responsible for feeding around 20% of the world's population, but with only 10% of the world's arable land found in the country, the nation needs to make the most of what it has. It has been working on large-scale initiatives to manage soil quality since the 1950s, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
"Given that China has a lot of saline lands and the trend of salinisation of farmland is worsening in some areas, it is of great significance to carry out comprehensive improvement and utilization," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a July 2023 speech, per the Post.
Improving soil quality can, therefore, be transformational not just for the nation's agriculture industry but also for food security for a fifth of the people who inhabit the Earth.
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