The Roles of Check Dams and Dam-Trapped Farmlands in the Hilly and Ravine Region of the Loess Plateau: Soil Erosion Control, Grain Production and Food Security

The soils are susceptible to water erosion in the hilly and ravine region of the Loess Plateau due to the readily erodible attribute of soils, erosive geomorphology, land use and land cover, and erosive rainfall. The soil and water losses induced by water erosion have the significant on-site impacts on crop growths and yields in this region because of soil nutrient depletion and adverse soil moisture condition. In addition, the crops grown in different land types frequently suffer from the seasonal draught due to climate change, which leads to the decline or failure of crop yield. Therefore, the crop yields and grain production are susceptibly stressed by soil erosion and drought in this region. Soil erosion and draught are the essential issues faced by agriculture production and eco-environment. Alternatively, effective measures of soil and water conservation can incredibly control soil and water losses induced by water erosion, alleviate the influences of draught on crop yields, and sustain grain production in this region. The check dam is one of the widely adopted engineering measures of soil and water conservation in the valleys of the hilly and ravine region on the Loess Plateau. Check dam can play multiple roles in mitigating soil erosion, trapping eroded sediments, regulating runoff and creating the lands in the valleys in the context of water erosion. The check dam can control the soil erosion to some extent because it can raise the basis level of erosion in the valley. The lost sediment and runoff can be trapped by the check dam in a watershed, which can reduce resultant loss rate of soil and water in the outlet of the watershed and mitigate sediment loads in the rive connecting to the watershed. Moreover, the check dam can make sediments or eroded soils deposit so as to develop the relatively flat lands called as the dam-trapped farmland in the valleys. The dam-trapped farmlands along with the terrace lands are regarded as the crucial farmlands due to their excellent farming conditions in this region. Some grain crops, such corn, sorghum, millet or potato, are always grown in the dam-trapped farmlands, among which corn is frequently planted in this kind of farmland. The crop yields of the dam-trapped farmlands have been increasing over the last 60 years. It is evidenced that the yield of corn increased from 2250-3000 kg/ha in 1960s to 12000-15000 kg/ha at present. The corn yield of the dam-trapped farmland is 1.5-2.0 folds of that of the terrace land. The nutrient use efficiency and water use efficiency of corn in the dam-trapped farmland are much higher than those of terrace land. It can be seen that check dam have the powerful function mitigating the losses runoff and sediment, and dam-trapped land can play the critical parts in sustaining grain production and insuring food security in the hilly and ravine region of the Loess Plateau. 

Keywords: soil erosion; check dam; dam-trapped farmland; grain production; food security; hilly and ravine region; Loess Plateau