wrr_case_study_china_agriculture-5012818b67af7f8a.pdf

This case study examines the integration of climate change adaptation into China's Comprehensive Agricultural Development (CAD) program, specifically through the World Bank-financed Irrigated Agriculture Intensification Loan III Project (IAIL3) and a subsequent Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant. Focused on the 3H Plain, the initiative aimed to address water scarcity and agricultural vulnerability by implementing drought-resistant crop varieties, water-harvesting infrastructure, and capacity-building for farmers, including rural women.

• The 3H Plain (comprising the Yellow, Huaihe, and Haihe River basins) is a critical grain production base for China, but it is highly vulnerable to climate change due to severe water scarcity. Per capita water availability in the region is only one third of the national average, which is half of the United Nations standard for socioeconomic and environmental development.
• Climate trends in the 3H Plain over the last 50 years show a clear warming trend, with mean temperatures increasing by 1.18°C. Precipitation has fluctuated, but the region is becoming drier; mean precipitation declined by 140 mm between 1956 and 2000, leading to more frequent spring droughts.
• Rural women in the 3H Plain are identified as the most vulnerable group to climate risks. Due to the migration of young males for employment, a "feminization of agriculture" has occurred, with women making up 70% to 80% of the agricultural labor force in some areas, increasing their labor burden during extreme weather events.
• The IAIL3 project, supplemented by a US$5 million GEF grant, transitioned from a general irrigation project to one that explicitly mainstreams climate change adaptation. Key technical interventions included the introduction of the Xuzhou Wheat No. 31 variety—a drought- and pest-resistant semi-winter/spring wheat—and the construction of 'water-stopping walls' to store irrigation water and prevent chemical runoff.
• The project achieved significant scale by December 2010, with a cumulative investment of RMB 3.8 billion (US$587 million). It improved 505,500 hectares of low- and medium-yielding farmland, established over 1,000 water user associations, and planted nearly 25,000 hectares of wind-breaking forest.
• Adaptation measures have demonstrated tangible benefits in disaster resilience and income. In Huaiyuan County, Anhui Province, project-funded irrigation facilities allowed wheat crops to be irrigated five days faster than in non-project counties during a 2009 winter drought. In Xinyi Municipality, the use of greenhouses for off-season vegetables increased income to RMB 50,000 per mu.
• The project has influenced provincial policy, specifically in Anhui, where climate change adaptation principles and investment criteria were integrated into the provincial CAD investment guideline. This has led to the expansion of adaptation measures from 16 counties to 93 counties, increasing the affected area from 72.6 thousand hectares to 2.7 million hectares.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). wrr_case_study_china_agriculture-5012818b67af7f8a.pdf. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_china_agriculture.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. wrr_case_study_china_agriculture-5012818b67af7f8a.pdf. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_china_agriculture.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=wrr_case_study_china_agriculture-5012818b67af7f8a.pdf |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_china_agriculture.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendwrrcasestudychinaagriculture5012818b67af7f8apdf, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{wrr\_case\_study\_china\_agriculture-5012818b67af7f8a.pdf}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_china_agriculture.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }