A ground-breaking ceremony for a farmland improvement project to help develop the local economy and preserve stability around border areas was launched in Longchuan, Dehong, on Feb 12, 2011.

This marks the practical implementation of the “Livelihood Project”, which aims to facilitate the development of the western regions, increase farmers’ income and improve the rural environment.

With an investment of 1.4 billion yuan, this farmland improvement project, the largest one of its kind in Yunnan, will benefit 1,032,500 people in Mangshi, Ruili, Longchuan and Yingjiang. Upon completion, 546,000 mu of farmland will have been improved over a five year period.

Du Zhuhua, deputy director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Land and Resources, urged those responsible for implementing the project to make a detailed schedule of their plans, as a way to help guarantee smooth progress. “This project is of great significance to the protection of cultivated land, national food security, the alleviation of poverty for local farmers, and social development in and around Dehong,” he said.

Liu Wusan, lieutenant governor of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, said the project would not only meet the current needs of this generation, but would also benefit future generations.