Efforts, Experience in and Inspiration of Environmental …
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403.7 billion and 435 million tons, respectively. However, the heavy use of fertilizers
and pesticides caused widespread non-point source pollutions. For example, organochlorine pesticides seriously affected vegetable and grain production. In 1983, the
State Council decided to totally ban HCH and DDT. The Decision on Strengthening
Environmental Protection released in 1984 and the Proposals for Implementing EcoAgriculture and Strengthening Environmental Protection in Agricultural Production
issued the 1985 urged efforts to promote ecological agriculture. The Environmental
Protection Law that took effect in 1989 stipulates that governments at various levels
shall strengthen environmental protection in agriculture and use fertilizers, pesticides
and plant growth hormones in a rational manner. In general, environmental protection
in China made progress at this stage, but the focus was still mainly on controlling
industrial pollution and curbing the fast deterioration of the urban environment. For
rural areas, there were no specific or targeted actions or policies to protect the environment. An undeniable fact is that some environmental management systems that was
taking shape at the stage provided the basis and organizational support for pollution
control in rural areas.
Stage III (1995–2001): Explorations. Rural environment was mentioned in the
1995 communique for China’s environmental conditions for the first time. According
to the communique, environmental pollution was expanding from urban areas to rural
areas at a fast pace. A preliminary survey showed that two thirds of farmland plots
over 10 million hectares in area were polluted. The 1999 communique for China’s
environmental conditions said the environmental quality in some places and urban
areas was slightly improved, but the rural environment got worse. At the stage, agricultural and rural environmental pollution was characterized by the coexistence of
point and non-point pollution, domestic and agricultural pollution, and local and
migrated pollution. Under such a circumstance, the 9th Five-Year Plan explicitly
required that population growth be contained and arable land and the environment
be protected for sustainable development of agriculture and the rural economy. In
1998, the National Environmental Protection Agency established a division for environmental protection in rural areas. In 1999, the National Environmental Protection
Agency introduced Several Guidelines on Strengthening Environmental Protection
in Rural Areas, the first policy document specifically for environmental protection in
rural areas. The Emission Standards for Pollutants from Livestock Breeding Industry
were issued in 2001. In general, environmental protection in rural areas at this stage
focused on improving water quality and toilets, and preventing pollutions from the
livestock breeding industry. Policy guidelines took shape, but the overall objective
was to prevent and control agricultural pollution.
Stage IV (2002–2012): Acceleration. At this stage, fertilizers, pesticides and livestock breeding were the main sources of pollution in rural areas. In 2002, the amount
of pesticides used logged 131.1 tons, while 443 kg of fertilizers were used for every
hectare of land on average (the safety cap in developed countries was 225 kg per
hectare). According to the first general survey on pollutant sources in China released
in 2007 showed that COD and ammonia nitrogen produced in the livestock breeding
industry accounted for 95.8% and 78.1% of the total agricultural pollutant discharges
respectively. The figures were 41.9% and 41.5% nationwide, respectively. In 2012,
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403.7 billion and 435 million tons, respectively. However, the heavy use of fertilizers
and pesticides caused widespread non-point source pollutions. For example, organochlorine pesticides seriously affected vegetable and grain production. In 1983, the
State Council decided to totally ban HCH and DDT. The Decision on Strengthening
Environmental Protection released in 1984 and the Proposals for Implementing EcoAgriculture and Strengthening Environmental Protection in Agricultural Production
issued the 1985 urged efforts to promote ecological agriculture. The Environmental
Protection Law that took effect in 1989 stipulates that governments at various levels
shall strengthen environmental protection in agriculture and use fertilizers, pesticides
and plant growth hormones in a rational manner. In general, environmental protection
in China made progress at this stage, but the focus was still mainly on controlling
industrial pollution and curbing the fast deterioration of the urban environment. For
rural areas, there were no specific or targeted actions or policies to protect the environment. An undeniable fact is that some environmental management systems that was
taking shape at the stage provided the basis and organizational support for pollution
control in rural areas.
Stage III (1995–2001): Explorations. Rural environment was mentioned in the
1995 communique for China’s environmental conditions for the first time. According
to the communique, environmental pollution was expanding from urban areas to rural
areas at a fast pace. A preliminary survey showed that two thirds of farmland plots
over 10 million hectares in area were polluted. The 1999 communique for China’s
environmental conditions said the environmental quality in some places and urban
areas was slightly improved, but the rural environment got worse. At the stage, agricultural and rural environmental pollution was characterized by the coexistence of
point and non-point pollution, domestic and agricultural pollution, and local and
migrated pollution. Under such a circumstance, the 9th Five-Year Plan explicitly
required that population growth be contained and arable land and the environment
be protected for sustainable development of agriculture and the rural economy. In
1998, the National Environmental Protection Agency established a division for environmental protection in rural areas. In 1999, the National Environmental Protection
Agency introduced Several Guidelines on Strengthening Environmental Protection
in Rural Areas, the first policy document specifically for environmental protection in
rural areas. The Emission Standards for Pollutants from Livestock Breeding Industry
were issued in 2001. In general, environmental protection in rural areas at this stage
focused on improving water quality and toilets, and preventing pollutions from the
livestock breeding industry. Policy guidelines took shape, but the overall objective
was to prevent and control agricultural pollution.
Stage IV (2002–2012): Acceleration. At this stage, fertilizers, pesticides and livestock breeding were the main sources of pollution in rural areas. In 2002, the amount
of pesticides used logged 131.1 tons, while 443 kg of fertilizers were used for every
hectare of land on average (the safety cap in developed countries was 225 kg per
hectare). According to the first general survey on pollutant sources in China released
in 2007 showed that COD and ammonia nitrogen produced in the livestock breeding
industry accounted for 95.8% and 78.1% of the total agricultural pollutant discharges
respectively. The figures were 41.9% and 41.5% nationwide, respectively. In 2012,