China To Build 10,000 “Eco-Villages,” Add Soft Ag-Chem Use

Avatar for Matt Hopkins By Scott C. Lucas|27 November 2006

During the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-10), China plans to build 10,000 such eco-villages in 500 counties as part of a national program to develop environmentally friendly homes. Part of the program is to promote a 5% to 10% higher utilization rate of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as sustainable use of grassland and fishing resources.

The program aims to introduce clean energy to more than 80% of farmers’ households, to promote methane, to dispose and reuse over 80% of household waste and sewage, and to improve hygiene, according to Wei Chao’an, vice minister for Agriculture.