Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture reveal farmers' net incomes are rising faster than the national average.

In the 51 national demonstration counties of ecological agriculture, the annual rate of increase is 1.5 percentage points.

And in terms of agricultural output and gross domestic product (GDP), the gap is 0.6 and 2.2 percentage points respectively.

But these rises have not reflected a decline in soil standards or come at the expense of non-arable land being put under the plough.

In the counties, forest cover is 3.7 percent higher than before the series of ecological agriculture projects were launched.

The transformation rate of desertificated land and soil erosion also reached 73.4 percent and 60.5 percent respectively.

Ecological agriculture - known as organic farming - aims to create integrated, humane, environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems.

According to Qi Jingfa, the deputy minister of agriculture, the country's efforts in establishing ecological agriculture was started in the 1980s.

"After two decades of efforts, an ecological system consisting of administration, popularization and technology service, and covering grass root levels, has taken shape in China," Qi said.

He made the remarks at the 2001 International Seminar on Ecological Agriculture and Sustainable Development, which opened Tuesday in Beijing and will run until Thursday.

In 1993, China decided to build 51 demonstration counties of organic farming. Last year, efforts started to add 50 others.

(China Daily November 7, 2001)