Shanxi Transforms Dryland Farming with Organic Innovation

Shanxi Province, a region in northern China where mountainous terrain covers roughly 80 percent of the land and drought has historically plagued farming for “nine years out of ten,” has undergone a sweeping agricultural transformation over the past decade. Through the systematic promotion of organic dryland agriculture, the province has shifted from subsistence farming dependent on weather patterns to a technology-driven system that is boosting crop yields, expanding exports, and earning national recognition, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Context: A Region Shaped by Drought

Located on the eastern Loess Plateau, Shanxi has long faced acute agricultural challenges. Drylands historically accounted for over 70 percent of cultivated land, soil organic matter content is low, and water resources remain scarce. Recognizing these constraints, President Xi Jinping during inspections of Shanxi in June 2017 and May 2020 emphasized that the province’s agricultural future lies in pursuing “specialty” and “superiority” — leveraging its unique resource endowment rather than fighting against it.

In April 2022, Shanxi published its “14th Five-Year Plan for Organic Dryland Farming Development,” mapping out a strategic path through 2025. The plan, which the UN World Food Programme China Centre of Excellence highlighted in a policy brief, set targets including raising the irrigation water utilization coefficient to 0.58, achieving over 90 percent popularization of drought-resistant varieties, and boosting the comprehensive mechanization rate of major crops to 77 percent.

Technological Innovations Driving Change

At the heart of Shanxi’s transformation is the “One Exemption, Five Increases” technology, developed by Professor Ren Zhiqiang’s team at Shanxi Agricultural University. The technique eliminates pre-sowing tillage and combines alternate-year deep loosening, moisture-probing furrow sowing, straw ridge-covering, and bacterial fertilizer co-sowing. Farmer Hu Pengfei of Zhangzi County, who manages 500 mu of corn, reported that the technology has increased his yields by over 300 jin (150 kg) per mu.

Terraced field conversion has also played a critical role. In Yonghe County, over 100,000 mu of previously eroded sloping land has been transformed into layered terraced fields. Ren Haijun, head of the Jiedeng Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, noted that large tractors now cultivate over 60 mu per day on the converted land — a dramatic improvement from the less than 3 mu achievable by manual labor on the original slopes.

The moisture-probing seeder, developed by the Shanxi Agricultural University Organic Dryland Farming Innovation Team, has been recognized as a model of “agronomy-machinery co-design.” As AgriTech Insights reported, the seeder penetrates dry soil layers to place seeds into moisture-rich zones, ensuring timely sowing and uniform emergence. The machine is designed to be flexible, easy to operate, and affordable for smallholder farmers.

Standards, Sustainability, and National Recognition

Shanxi has cumulatively released 143 organic dryland farming standards, and eight of its technologies have been promoted nationwide, according to Yao Jiguang, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The province’s comprehensive straw utilization rate has stabilized at over 93 percent, while chemical fertilizer and pesticide usage continue to decline. More than 600 green prevention and control demonstration areas now cover over 20 million mu.

In germplasm development, Shanxi holds nearly 40,000 coarse grain genetic resources and has introduced or bred over 1,000 new varieties, with multiple selections entering the national promotion catalog.

Export Growth and Brand Building

The economic impact of Shanxi’s agricultural transformation is increasingly visible in export markets. In 2025, Xinzhou’s coarse grain export value grew by 79.8 percent, with products including buckwheat, quinoa, and mung beans reaching European consumers. Yuncheng’s fruit exports reached 289,000 tons valued at 2.319 billion yuan, with apples, pears, and peaches accounting for 13.1 percent, 5.52 percent, and 28.31 percent of China’s national totals respectively. Yuncheng fruits now reach 78 countries and regions.

Fenyang’s walnut and walnut product exports alone reached 700 million yuan in 2025, with Shanxi Ma Yifang Food Technology exporting to over 10 countries. The province has created 93 product brands across categories, with 2,424 green and organic agricultural products and 176 geographical indication products. As China Daily reported, Shanxi is also advancing an “Agriculture+” model that integrates farming with sports, cultural tourism, and wellness sectors.

Analysis: A Model for Water-Scarce Regions

Shanxi’s experience offers valuable lessons for global food security as climate change intensifies drought patterns worldwide. The province’s approach — combining targeted technological innovation, institutional standardization, and brand-driven market development — demonstrates that regions with chronic water scarcity can achieve significant agricultural productivity gains.

As John Hutton of AgriTech Insights observed, “Shanxi’s dryland organic farming offers another development pathway, treating farming as a living ecological system that maximizes internal energy and reduces reliance on external inputs.” The challenge ahead lies in scaling these innovations across more regions and assessing their long-term sustainability under increasingly extreme climate conditions.

What’s Next

Shanxi continues to refine its organic dryland farming system, with ongoing research into intelligent agricultural machinery and drought-resistant variety development. The province’s “southern fruits, northern meat, central grains, eastern herbs, western nuts” platform strategy aims to further integrate smallholder farmers into modern supply chains, ensuring that the benefits of agricultural modernization reach rural communities across the province.