An upgrade in irrigation facilities is proving a major bulwark against drought and floods for residents of Tongdao, a county in Hunan province and a major residential area for the Dong ethnic group.
Wedged in the mountainous region between Hunan and Guizhou provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the Dong people have been farming rice paddies for hundreds of years.
Their work relies on weather conditions, as floods and drought can wreck a year's toil.
"I've seen some terrible droughts and floods here in my life," said Li Guiying, a woman in her 60s who lives in the village of Chang'anbao. "When drought hits, everything is scorched, but floods wreak more havoc because not only are farmlands inundated but houses are swept away."
The agriculture development office in Tongdao, affiliated to the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for the planning, bidding and supervision of rural development.
The office invested 8.42 million yuan ($1.4 million) in an infrastructure project in Chang'anbao, which started in October 2012 and was completed in April 2013. The project included construction and consolidation of dams, channels, underground water pipes, electric pumping stations and roads.
"My son and daughter are working in Guangzhou," Li said. "My husband and I are at home. We grow rice and vegetables, raise chickens and pigs. The irrigation system has saved us from worrying about whether the crops are properly irrigated."
Long Zhangyou, the village head, agrees.
"We used to have leakage in channels, and muddy roads that made it difficult to transport farm produce, and weather that would generally play havoc with crops. But now with the new irrigation system in place, we feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted."
The irrigation system shielded the village from the consequences of a severe drought last year. Rainfall in Tongdao dropped by 30 percent year-on-year in 2013 from January to July. The water at some dams and ponds evaporated.
"Our village did not have to spend a single penny on the upgrade. For this we are truly grateful," said Long, who sent a red silk banner in December with words expressing the village's gratitude to the agriculture development office.
China has 578.6 million square kilometers of effective irrigation area, accounting for only 46 percent of the total arable land. This area produces 75 percent of the grain and 90 percent of the cash crops.
This proves how effective irrigation is to ensure food security, said Zhao Mingji, the ex-head of the department of agriculture in the Ministry of Finance.
The National Development and Reform Commission prioritized irrigation in its work plan for 2014, which includes boosting infrastructure and existing irrigation networks as well as ensuring safe drinking water in rural areas.
Since the agriculture development office in Tongdao was established in 1992, it has invested 63.6 million yuan in rural areas and completed 15 infrastructure projects throughout the county.
"Floods and drought have been hindering the development of agriculture here," said Yang Qingxi, the office chief. "Therefore, we have made proper irrigation facilities the focus of our work."
The investment, which is based on an 80 percent fiscal allocation and 20 percent from self-raised funds, allows farmers to work on the projects themselves, mostly doing manual labor. One day's work accounts for a 70-yuan contribution to the self-raised funding.
National policy states that rural land management is funded by central and local allocation and money raised by farmers. However, it is not mandatory for farmers to raise money. They can vote for the form and amount they are willing to contribute.
"Generally speaking, rural infrastructure construction should mainly be funded by the government. However, farmers can also make an investment in the form of providing labor for the project," said Li Guoxiang, a professor at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "They need to reach an agreement among themselves as to who contributes and how much
