Zero-Growth Action Plan for Fertilizer and Pesticide Use Officially Launched
On March 17, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that it will launch a nationwide zero-growth action plan for fertilizer and pesticide use, striving to achieve a fertilizer utilization rate and pesticide utilization rate for major crops of both over 40% by 2020, an increase of 7 percentage points and 5 percentage points respectively compared with 2013, and to realize zero growth in fertilizer and pesticide use for crops.
Zeng Yande, Director of the Department of Crop Production Management of the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that this is an important action carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture around the main line of work of “stabilizing grain output and increasing income, adjusting structure, improving quality and efficiency, and transforming the development model” in order to implement the spirit of the Central Rural Work Conference and the Central Document No. 1. The purpose is to advance fertilizer reduction and efficiency improvement and pesticide reduction and pest control, and to actively explore a path of modern agricultural development featuring high output, safe products, resource conservation and environmental friendliness.
According to the zero-growth action plan for fertilizer use, its technical path is: advancing precision fertilization, adjusting the structure of fertilizer application, improving fertilization methods, and replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer. Key measures are: innovating service mechanisms, strengthening agricultural enterprise connections, and increasing the rate at which formula fertilizer reaches fields and households; relying on large grain growers, family farms, specialized cooperatives and other new types of business entities to promote mechanical fertilization, integrated water and fertilizer application and other fertilization technologies; advancing the application of new fertilizers and new technologies, and promoting efficient new fertilizers and efficient fertilization technology models; advancing the utilization of organic fertilizer resources and increasing soil organic matter content; strengthening the construction of high-standard farmland, improving cultivated land quality, and reducing fertilizer input.
According to the zero-growth action plan for pesticide use, its technical path is: controlling the occurrence and harm of diseases and insect pests, replacing highly toxic and high-residue pesticides with efficient, low-toxicity and low-residue pesticides, replacing small and low-efficiency spray equipment with medium and large efficient spray equipment, promoting precise and scientific pesticide application, and promoting unified prevention and control of diseases and insect pests. Key measures are: building a disease and pest monitoring and early warning system to improve the timeliness and accuracy of monitoring and early warning; integrating and promoting a batch of technical models, building a batch of green prevention and control demonstration zones, training a batch of technical backbone personnel, and promoting large-scale application; promoting the integration of unified prevention and control with green prevention and control, and raising the level of organization and technology.
The Ministry of Agriculture proposed that agricultural departments at all levels establish leading groups for advancing implementation, establish a working mechanism of upward and downward linkage and multi-party collaboration, increase special financial support for soil testing and formula fertilization, disease and pest control, and other areas, establish expert guidance groups for the action, carry out technical guidance services, and publicize and popularize knowledge of scientific fertilization and scientific pesticide use. At the same time, work is being accelerated to formulate and revise the Pesticide Management Regulations and the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Crop Diseases and Insect Pests, and to formulate the Regulations on the Protection of Cultivated Land Quality and the Fertilizer Management Regulations.
Fertilizer reduction is conducive to the sustainable development of grain production; pesticide reduction will not affect the effectiveness of disease and pest prevention and control
——A relevant official of the Ministry of Agriculture answers reporters' questions on the zero-growth action for fertilizer and pesticide use
In order to implement the spirit of the Central Rural Work Conference and the Central Document No. 1, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the “Action for Zero Growth in Fertilizer Use by 2020” and the “Action for Zero Growth in Pesticide Use by 2020” to advance fertilizer reduction and efficiency improvement and pesticide reduction and pest control. Zeng Yande, Director of the Department of Crop Production Management of the Ministry of Agriculture, answered reporters' questions on issues related to the 2020 zero-growth action for fertilizer and pesticide use.
Question: As the farming proverb says, fertilizer is the “food” of grain. Why then is it proposed to reduce fertilizer use? What impact will this have on national food security?
Answer: Indeed, everyone knows that applying fertilizer increases grain output. China's history of fertilizer application is not long. Fertilizer first began to enter China in the early 20th century, but the amount used was very small. It was not until the 1970s that fertilizer began to be widely used, a history of roughly more than 40 years. However, the relatively large amount of fertilizer used in China is also a reality. Data show that during the 35 years from 1979 to 2013, China's fertilizer use increased from 10.86 million tons to 59.12 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of 5.2%. In recent years, because of vigorous efforts to promote soil testing and formula fertilization, the growth rate of fertilizer use has declined and is currently below 1.5%. But the average fertilizer use per mu of crops in China is still higher than the level of developed countries in the world. Excessive fertilizer use not only increases costs, but also brings a certain impact on the agricultural ecological environment. This is precisely one of the purposes of implementing this action: to blaze a path of cost saving, efficiency improvement and sustainable development.
As for whether fertilizer reduction will affect national food security, we believe it will not, and that it is also conducive to the sustainable development of grain production. There are three reasons: First, the crops with relatively large fertilizer use in China are mainly vegetables and fruits, especially protected vegetables, which use even more fertilizer. Reducing fertilizer use for high-fertilizer economic crops will not affect national food security. Second, the fertilization level of China's grain crops is higher than that of developed countries, and there are still unreasonable phenomena in different regions, but China has already established some mature technical models for different regions, especially the promotion of high-yield and high-efficiency cultivation technology models, which will not affect per-unit grain yield. Third, in recent years, soil testing and formula fertilization technology has already developed some mature practices and experience. Through soil testing and formula fertilization and the use of organic fertilizer, fertilizer use can be reduced while also achieving increased output, cost savings and efficiency improvement. Based on the above judgment, to achieve the goals of the new national food security strategy, relying on scientific and technological progress, strengthening infrastructure construction, and especially focusing on improving cultivated land quality, fertilizer reduction will not affect national food security and can uphold the bottom line of “basic self-sufficiency in grains and absolute security of staple food.”
Question: Rural labor is now in short supply, farmers are accustomed to using chemical fertilizer, and the amount of organic fertilizer used is declining. Under such circumstances, can the fertilizer reduction target be achieved?
Answer: The current shortage of rural labor and the decline in organic fertilizer use are indisputable facts. China is rich in organic fertilizer resources, but the utilization rate is very low, with the actual utilization rate less than 40%. Among this, the return rate of livestock and poultry manure nutrients to the field is about 50%, and the direct return rate of straw nutrients is about 35%. An important path in our zero-growth action for fertilizer use is to advance the replacement of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer, so that the fertilizer reduction target can be achieved.
How to advance the use of organic fertilizer? The main measures are as follows: First, promote mechanical fertilization technology to provide strong conditions for straw return, organic fertilizer accumulation and composting, and solve the problem of rural labor shortage. Second, advance the integration of farming and livestock raising by building organic fertilizer production workshops or plants in areas with concentrated fertilizer sources, around large-scale livestock and poultry farms, and in concentrated livestock and poultry breeding areas, so as to realize resource utilization of organic fertilizer. Third, seek support policies and, in the form of subsidies, encourage new types of business entities and large-scale operating entities to increase organic fertilizer application, and guide farmers to accumulate farmyard manure and apply organic fertilizer. Fourth, innovate service mechanisms, develop various socialized service organizations, advance agricultural enterprise connections, and improve the service level of organic fertilizer resources. Fifth, strengthen publicity and guidance, increase training for new types of business entities and large-scale operating entities on scientific fertilization, and create a favorable atmosphere for organic fertilizer application.
Question: Climate change is now significant, farming and cultivation systems have also changed greatly, and diseases and insect pests show a trend of frequent and severe outbreaks. Can the pesticide reduction target be achieved?
Answer: Indeed, in recent years, due to climate change and changes in farming and cultivation systems, crop diseases and insect pests have shown a trend of frequent, recurrent and severe outbreaks. If diseases and insect pests are not controlled, they will cause large-scale reductions in output. Of course, it should be noted that due to unscientific application, together with the year-by-year expansion of crop sown area and the increasing difficulty of disease and pest control, pesticide use has generally shown an upward trend. To reverse this situation, achieving zero growth in pesticide use is not easy. However, after 6 years of unremitting efforts, by 2020, zero growth in pesticide use can be achieved.
Next, we must strive to achieve “three reductions and one improvement” to reduce pesticide use. First, reduce the number of pesticide applications. Apply green prevention and control technologies such as agricultural control, biological control and physical control to create environmental conditions conducive to crop growth and natural enemy protection but not conducive to the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, prevent and control the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, and thus achieve the goal of using less pesticide. Second, reduce the pesticide application dose. Apply pesticide at key times, according to the target, use good pesticides, and apply appropriate amounts, avoid blindly increasing the application dose, and reduce excessive application. Third, reduce pesticide loss. Develop and apply modern plant protection machinery to replace outdated machinery prone to leakage and waste, and reduce pesticide loss and waste. Fourth, improve control effectiveness. Support specialized service organizations for disease and pest control, carry out large-scale specialized unified prevention and control, improve control effectiveness, and reduce pesticide use.
Question: Will pesticide reduction affect the effectiveness of disease and pest prevention and control?
Answer: Disease and pest control emphasizes scientific prevention and control. The focus is on doing well in “three improvements and three advances.” First, improve the concept of prevention and control, and advance green prevention and control. Comprehensively apply green prevention and control technologies such as agricultural control, biological control and physical control to prevent and control diseases and insect pests, so that the scope of occurrence is reduced and the degree is lowered. Second, improve pesticide application technology, and advance scientific pesticide use. Use good pesticides, promote efficient, low-toxicity and low-residue pesticides, and reasonably add spray synergists to promote pesticide reduction and efficiency improvement; use good equipment, promote new efficient plant protection machinery, reduce drift loss, improve spray targeting, and improve pesticide utilization; use good personnel, popularize knowledge of scientific pesticide use, and guide farmers to apply pesticide according to the target and at key times, avoiding using the wrong pesticide or missing the optimal control period. Third, improve the organization method, and advance unified prevention and control. Specialized service organizations for disease and pest control have excellent equipment, advanced technology, standardized management, high control efficiency and good results. Concentrated and contiguous operations can also solve the problem of poor control effectiveness caused by households applying pesticide at different times, which allows migratory and epidemic diseases and insect pests to migrate back and forth and spread harm. From practice, as long as prevention and control are scientific, pesticide reduction will not affect control effectiveness.