Chapter 11: Karst and recent evolution of the farming landscape.

Résumé - Abstract - Zusammenfassung :  The farming landscape of the Central Chinese mountain karst results from a long standing and influential human occupation. The Holocene and Historic evolution is recorded by sediments trapped in poljes and ponors (eroded soils, charcoals). Soil erosion during the last centuries can be studied by investigating the erstwhile buried but nowadays revealed karst. The fields are scattered with “rock-teeth” and difficult to cultivate. In between 1950 to 1970 the population increased quickly and occupied larger areas. Alone during the 1950's some 3 million square kilometres were assigned to peasant farmers, and by and by the area under cultivation was extended to the steeper slopes. Subsequently soil erosion increased despite the building of countless terraces. Additionally,  the forested areas were more and more exploited to provide building material, fire-wood and charcoal.
Since Deng Xiao Ping's economic reform in 1980 the peasants predominantly cultivate private fields in hilly areas. The floor of each and every polje, uvala and doline is used to grow corn, vegetables, tobacco and tea. Rice is rather cultivated at lower elevations on the impervious terrane wich is found at valley floors and river banks. Another factor is the less restrictive birth control privileges enrolled in favor for the ethnic minorities like the Tuja, where two or three children are allowed. The growing number of peasants extend deforestation to areas of difficult access. New fields are cleared and quite a few are developed even without terracing walls. In a few cases, however, fields cleared during the "Cultural Revolution" have been abandoned.

Keywords: Karst, farming landscape, agriculture, rice, deforestation, soils, erosion, infillings, poljes, demography, Cultural Revolution.