| With the rapid development of modern agriculture and continual increases of yield level of agricultural products, a huge amount of crop residues, mainly straws, is produced in rural areas of China. Crop straws are valuable natural resources and can be used in many ways including as fuel, forage, building materials, raw materials for industry and as an important organic source for soil fertility amendment. However, crop straws have not been fully used and well recycled yet. Most of the remaining crop straws in rural area are usually burned or discarded by local farmers in open field, which not only wastes straw resources but produces large amount of pollutants to the air, water and field. Therefore, rational use and recycling of crop straws are of great importance in sustainable agriculture and healthy agro-ecosystem.The climate and other natural conditions in Lixia river region, Jiangsu Province, are favorable for food production. Yuduo Town is located in central part of this region and characterized by developed agriculture and advantageous agro-environment. As a "National Ecological Town" in Taizhou City, full use and recycling of crop straws in Yuduo town is more environmentally important, because the town is located near Qintong National Wetland Park and one of the water intakes of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. In order to understand current status of crop straw utilization, find out the problems limiting the full use of straw resource and formulate relevant strageties on rational use of crop straws in this town, a case study was carried by means of consulting references and literatures, exploring internet and visiting local farmers and government departments. Based on technical and economic analysis on the data collected in the survey, the current structures of straw use were investigated and problems and relevant strageties towards rational use of straw resource in this town were proposed. Results obtained in this survey were mainly as follows:(1) Approximately 97% of the crop straws were currently used in Yuduo town through returning to the field, fuel for cooking, growth medium for mashroom production, bedding material in husbandry and collection for industrial use, of which returning to field was the dominant way to use the straws, with a use rate of 62.7%. Remaining crop straws (approximately 3% and 2100 t in size) were burned or discarded by local farmers, which may act as a threat to the environment.(2) The factors affecting the use of straw resource were:a. lagging in machines needed for straw field returning; b. deficient in sites and their radiant width for straw collection; c. scarce in industries using straws as raw material; d. complicated riverlets limiting machine operation on straws; and e. deficient in technical training to local farmers and in subsequent management after large amount of straws returned to the field.(3) Based on the survey and local natural, social and economic conditions, following strageties for rational use of straw resource in Yuduo town were proposed:a. strengthening publicity on the significance of comprehensive use of straw resource and elevating farmers awareness in agro-environment protection; b. emphasizing technical training of local farmers to enhance their ability in solving the problems in straw utilization; c. exploring new ways to use and recycling crop straws; d. dredging the rivers and riverlets and making full use of river transportation to collect, deliver and trade the remaining crop straws.In addition, in order to explore more ways to utilize residual straws, some enterprices (e.g. Jiangsu Lianmei Bio-energy Co. Ltd) and departments of local government were in-situ interviewed to investigate collection and delivery route for unused straws and relevant policies benefitting local farmers. The implementation of the key countermeasures was also tracked. We expect that this study with Yuduo town as an example would provide a reference for straw management and decision-making in Lixiahe region. |
