Climate Change and Dryland Agricultural Ecosystem Management

Introduction to the Loess Plateau (and the Rain-harvesting Agricultural Experimental Station of Beishan)
The Loess Plateau (Chinese: 黄土高原; pinyin: huángtǔ gāoyuán), also known as the Huangtu Plateau, is a plateau that covers an area of some 640,000 km² in
the upper and middle of China's Yellow River and China proper. Loess is the name for the silty sediment that has been deposited by wind storms on the plateau over the
ages. Loess is a highly erosion-prone soil that is susceptible to the forces of wind and water; in fact, the soil of this region has been called the "most highly erodible soil
on earth". The Loess Plateau and its dusty soil cover almost all of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and parts of others.
Rain-harvesting Agricultural Experimental Station of Beishan, Lanzhou University is located at Zhonglianchuan in the northern mountain region of Yuzhong
County, Gansu Province, China (36.03 ◦ N,104 ◦ .5 E,). The area has a medium temperate semiarid climate, with an annual mean air temperature of 6.5 ◦ C, a
maximum of 19.0 ◦C (July) and minimum of −8.0◦C (January). The mean annual precipitation is 320mm, about 60% of which is in July–September, and the
average annual free water evaporation is about 1300mm. The average elevations 2400 meters (7874 ft). The water table is very deep, so ground water is unavailable
for plant growth in this region.
A Baiyin
B C D
2.5 hours by bus
Lanzhou Beishan
E F G A. Geographic map of Beishan
B. Loess Plateau Agriculture Landscape
C. Mulching cover farming field
D. Heavy livelihood pressure in this area
E. Major farming patterns
F. Rain-harvesting cistern
G. Penned sheep
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