Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project

with World Bank Loan(The Third Batch of Subprojects)

Social Assessment Report

March 14, 2021

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Presiding unit of the project: College of Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

Project director: Chen Chengwen, Professor of College of Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

Presider of the project: Chen Chengwen, Professor of

College of Public Administration, Hunan Normal

University

Compilation staff:

Chen Chengwen, Professor of Sociology, College of

Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

Chen Yunfan, Deputy Professor of Sociology, College of

Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

Guo Qing, Deputy Professor of Sociology, College of

Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

Chen Haiping, Deputy Professor of Sociology, College of

Public Administration, Hunan Normal University

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CONTENTSExecutive Summary....................................................................................................................................7

1. Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1.1 Brief introduction to the project......................................................................................1

1.1.1 Project background....................................................................................................1

1.1.2 Project overview........................................................................................................1

1.2 Project social assessment..................................................................................................3

1.2.1 Purpose and contents of social assessment................................................................3

1.2.2 Main methods for social assessment..........................................................................4

1.2.2 Scheduling of social assessment................................................................................6

2.Basic Social-Economic Analysisof Project Counties..............................................................7

2.1 Social-economic analysisof Hunan Province...................................................................7

2.1.1 Socioeconomic status.................................................................................................7

2.1.2 Heavy metal pollution status.....................................................................................9

2.2 Social-economic analysisof project counties..................................................................11

2.2.1 Social-economic analysis of Anhua County............................................................11

2.2.2 Social-economic analysis of Cili County................................................................13

2.2.3 Social-economic analysis of Yongshun County......................................................16

2.2.4 Social-economic analysis of Huayuan County........................................................18

2.2.5 Social-economic analysis of Jishou City.................................................................20

2.2.6 Social-economic analysis of Qiyang County...........................................................22

2.2.7 Social-economic analysis of Linwu County............................................................23

2.2.8 Social-economic analysis of Lengshuitan District..................................................25

2.2.9 Social-economic analysis of Hengnan County........................................................26

2.2.10 Social-economic analysis in Hengyang County....................................................28

2.2.11 Social-economic analysis of Yongding District....................................................29

3. Analysis of the main stakeholders and requirements of the project.....................................32

3.1 The definition of stakeholders of the project................................................................32

3.2 Analysis of stakeholdersproject awareness ..................................................................33

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3.2.1 Awareness and project awareness situations of stakeholders.................................33

3.2.2 Analysis of stakeholders’ participation willingness................................................35

3.3 Analysis of the needs of stakeholders............................................................................37

4. Analysis of Low-Income people...........................................................................................42

4.1 Analysis of low-income people in demonstration areas................................................42

4.1.1 General status of low-income people in demonstration areas.................................42

4.1.2 Living model of low-income people........................................................................43

4.1.3 Analysis of causes for poverty of low-income people.............................................44

4.2 Analysis of project awareness and needs of low-income people.................................45

4.2.1 Analysis of project awareness ................................................................................45

4.2.2 Analysis of needs.....................................................................................................46

5. Analysis of Social Gender....................................................................................................48

5.1 Analysis of women’s development status in demonstration area................................48

5.2 Analysis of participation methods of agricultural activities in women.......................48

5.3 Analysis of project project awareness and need of women group..............................50

5.3.1 Analysis of project awareness ................................................................................50

5.3.2 Analysis of needs.....................................................................................................51

5.4 Social gender action plan in various construction phases............................................52

5.4.1 Promotion of women’s participation in the project.................................................52

5.4.2 Improving women’s project awareness of rural cooperative and project...............52

6. Analysis of Ethnic Minority.................................................................................................53

6.1 Overview..........................................................................................................................53

6.1.1 Status of ethnic minority population in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture..............53

6.1.2 Status of ethnic minority population in Zhangjiajie................................................54

6.2 Customs and culture of ethnic minority dominated in the demonstration area........54

6.3 Identification of ethnic minority in demonstration areas............................................61

6.3.1 Identification basis...................................................................................................61

6.3.2 Identification methods.............................................................................................61

6.3.3 Screening of ethnic minority...................................................................................61

6.4 Implementation plans of the project villages of ethnic minorities..............................62

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7. Social Impact and Risk Analysis..........................................................................................64

7.1 Analysis of social impact.................................................................................................64

7.1.1 Positive impact.........................................................................................................64

7.1.2 Negative Impacts.....................................................................................................67

7.2 Analysis of social risks....................................................................................................67

7.2.1 Involuntary resettlement..........................................................................................67

7.2.2 Livelihood Risk of Farmer Households...................................................................68

7.2.3 Risk of Public Opinion............................................................................................70

7.2.4 Vulnerability risks of disadvantaged groups such as minorities and low-income groups...............................................................................................................................71

7.2.5 Risk of land transfer.................................................................................................72

8. Public Participation and Information Disclosure..................................................................73

8.1 Principle of public participation and information disclosure.....................................73

8.2 Participation of stakeholders in the project preparation stage...................................74

8.2.1 Basic participation methods.....................................................................................74

8.2.2 Participation contents and activities of information disclosure...............................76

8.3 Public participation in project execution stage............................................................77

8.4 Information Disclosure...................................................................................................78

9. Conclusions and Suggestions...............................................................................................81

9.1 Basic conclusions.............................................................................................................81

9.2 Suggestions......................................................................................................................90

10. Social Action Plan of the Project........................................................................................93

10.1 Logical Framework.......................................................................................................93

10.2 Consultation Framework.............................................................................................94

10.2.1 Organization Structure...........................................................................................95

10.2.2 Rules and Regulations & Rules of Procedure........................................................97

10.2.3 Actual Operation....................................................................................................97

10.2.4 Supervision and Administration............................................................................98

10.3Specific actions for social development......................................................................100

10.4 Complaints Mechanism..............................................................................................101

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10.5 Prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic.......................................................102

Appendix 1: Social Assessment Questionnaire of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project with World Bank Loan..........................................104

Appendix 2: Questionnaires of ethnic minorities..............................................................109

Appendix 3: (Village) Cadre Interview (Symposium) Outline of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project.......................................................111

Appendix 4: (Village) Cadre Interview (Symposium) Outline of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project.......................................................113

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Executive Summary

Project Overview

The main contents of “Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land

Pollution Project with World Bank Loan” cover four aspects: agricultural polluted soil

management, sustainable soil management practice, environmental management and

agricultural environment monitoring, and project monitoring, evaluation and

management. The Project includes 14 counties: Hengyang County, Yongding District,

Jishou City, Baojing County, Huayuan County, Yongshun County, Cili County,

Zhongfang County, Anhua County, Hengnan County, Linwu County, Yizhang County,

Lengshuitan District and Qiyang County. So far more than two years have passed

since the Project was officially launched for implementation. During the

implementation, 11 project counties (namely Anhua County, Cili County, Yongshun

County, Huayuan County, Jishou City, Qiyang County, Linwu County, Lengshuitan

District, Hengnan County, Hengyang County and Yongding District) plan to include

more demonstration areas or enlarge the coverage of the previous demonstration areas

based on the agricultural land pollution inspection data and project need, which will

involve 2270.5 hectares farmland, 29 townships (towns), 60 administrative villages

and 113,917 beneficiaries including 7,336 people with disabilities and 9,341 left-

behind women.

Purpose and Process of Social Assessment

Social assessment aims to identify main stakeholders of newly-added

demonstration areas and their needs as well as opportunities, impacts and risks

brought by project construction and operation to stakeholders, and to prepare action

plan to address social impacts, evade or relieve social risks, assist in perfecting project

design and implementation, and get individuals & groups under direct impact of the

project activities to effectively participate in project activities.

To help with the project design and implementation, the Social Assessment

Team, supported and cooperated by the relevant authorities, conducted social

assessment survey from December 16, 2020 to December 25, 2020 on the 11 project

counties planning for more demonstration areas. Participatory social assessment

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method is adopted during the whole social assessment process. Information disclosure

and public consultation are used for information collection. Social assessment is

conducted in the 11 project counties through structural interviews, group interviews,

participatory scoring and ranking, matrix analysis of project impact, social resource

surveys and resource mapping. A total of 8 directors of farmers’ cooperatives and

main planting farmers have received in-depth interview. A total of 8 directors of the

government at the town and township level and leaders of the Village Committees in

the Project Villages have received in-depth interview. A total of 10 administrators and

implementers of the Project Counties have received in-depth interview. A total of 60

villagers have received in-depth interview including 20 women (33.3%), 20 people

from minorities (33.3%) and 20 low income people (33.3%). In addition, two types of

questionnaire surveys are performed in 11 project counties according to a certain

sampling proportion; 1100 social assessment questionnaires are distributed in 11

project counties, 949 of which are effectively completed and returned, and the

questionnaire response rate is 86.3%; 500 ethnic identification questionnaires are

distributed in 5 project districts and counties inhabited by ethnic minorities, 365 of

which are effectively completed and returned, and the questionnaire response rate is

73.0%.

Needs of Main Stakeholders

Total scale of management of contaminated farmland in 11 newly-added project

counties is 2270.5 hectares. Based on the field survey, social assessment team have

identified main stakeholders of the project and carried out participation and

consultation with main stakeholders. Needs of those stakeholders are as follows:

Common needs: Develop agricultural production, increase opportunities for

employment and entrepreneurship, enhance risk resistance, govern heavy metal

pollution of farmland and improve farmers’ production and living standards.

Needs of farmer households in demonstration areas: Total population involved in

demonstration areas is 114,000. The Needs of farmer households in demonstration

area include: (1) Improve agricultural production infrastructures, e.g. the repair or

new construction of irrigation canals, tractor roads, and other relevant facilities: (2)

Improve local ecological environment and the quality of agricultural products and

develop ecological agriculture; (3) Participate in farmers’ cooperatives and lower

production risks and cost; (4) Adjust industrial structure, increase the ratio of cash

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crops in a proper manner and improve the income level; (5) Lower the risk of an

increase cost brought to farmers during the governance process of heavy metal of

farmland.

There is a total of 47 specialized farmers’ cooperatives in demonstration areas.

Needs of cooperatives: (1) Acquire capital support, lower financing cost and lighten

the capital stress for development of ecological agriculture; (2) Improve organization

management level of cooperatives and facilitate local agriculture to adopt scaled

development path; (3) Establish the heavy metal monitoring stations for soil and

agricultural product, improve quality management level of agricultural products and

promote the local agriculture to adopt the development path of ecological agriculture;

(4) Lower risks of sales of agricultural products and increase of costs.

Needs of project village committees: (1) Establish and perfect specialized

farmers’ cooperatives and promote the local industrial upgrading; (2) Strengthen local

farmers’ environment awareness and planting technology training as well as their

environmental protection awareness and technological level; (3) Formulate a

reasonable compensation mechanism and lower the risk of residents’ income.

Needs of agricultural departments: (1) Smoothly and successfully complete the

project through cooperation with stakeholders; (2) Help farmer households in the

demonstration areas govern the heavy metal pollution of farmland, develop

agricultural production and improve the quality of agricultural products; (3) Explore

technologies and management models of local farmland pollution control through

improvements of the World Bank project.

Needs of other relevant departments of the government: (1) Improve soil quality

and local ecological environment and improve administration and monitoring level of

local environment: (2) Promote the economic development of project counties and

demonstration areas; drive the ecological development path of agriculture and

promote the rural revitalization; (3) Drive economic and social development, realize

political stability and improve government image; (4) Improve production and living

conditions of low income people, enhance the living standards of low income people,

safeguard social stability and promote harmonious development.

Analysis of Poor and Low-Income People

Of 11 project counties planning to include more areas, three counties once were

nationally designated poverty counties and five were provincially designated, all of

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which have been lifted out of poverty but are still relative poor with low income

people. The previously poor people turned into low income people, mainly referring

to low income people of poor households just out of poverty in 2020. A total of 2650

low income households or 11391 low income people live in the demonstration areas

of 11 counties and cities planning for farmland governance, with a relative poverty

incidence of 10%. There are 7336 people with disabilities.

The low-income residents mainly obtain their income from traditional

agriculture. According to survey, 60.0% of low-income individuals mainly obtain

their income from planting industry and breeding industry. Income from farmlands of

low-income individuals accounts for 63.5% of household income on average.

Low-income individuals have already had some knowledge of the project but

some of them are still not clearly aware of the project, which indicates a need of

further advocacy campaigns among low income people. In addition, low income

households have relatively consistent supporting attitude towards the Project.

According to the survey, 95.2% of low-income individuals believe that ‘Safety and

Quality Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products’ is in favor

of the local economic and social development. All low-income households support the

project.

Low quality of agricultural products, high medical expenditure and low degree of

agricultural industrialization are the main reasons causing poverty. Diseases and

lacking of technology are the main factor causing poverty. 28.5% low income people

fall into poverty due to diseases; 26.4% low income people fall into poverty due to

lacking of technology. The low-income individuals have proposed the needs for

improvement of quality of agricultural products, strengthening of planting technical

training, increase of employment opportunities, enhancement of development capacity

and provision of cost compensation.

Gender Analysis

The educational level of women in villages is mainly junior high school level.

According to survey data: 37.4% of them have primary school and below primary

school diploma; 50.1% of them have junior high school diploma; 12.5% of them have

senior high school/technical secondary school/vocational school and higher diploma.

Farming women are mainly middle and old aged women. According to survey data:

Average age of farming women in demonstration areas is 48 years old, and the

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maximum age is 87 years old while the minimum age is 17 years old.

The farming workers in villages are mainly women and middle and old aged

people. The women take up about 48% of total employees in the rural cooperatives.

The proportion of women participating in the decision-making and management of

rural cooperatives is low. There is a total of 189 management personnels in rural

cooperatives, including 47 women, accounting for 25.0%. There is no woman in the

management of 8 rural cooperatives. Percentage of left-behind women in the areas to

be included is as high as 8.2% of total population in the demonstration areas, namely

9341 women.

Needs of women for the Project: Increase job opportunities (Left-behind women

require more job opportunities near their communities), provide labor protection

measures against high temperature, sunstroke, weeds and mosquitoes and preventing

inhalation of lime to lungs, and provide training of production skills such as operation

of agricultural machines. Classroom lecturing and site demonstration shall be

combined for relevant training to enhance the participation capability of women.

Analysis of Ethnic Minorities

The project counties within the demonstration area where ethnic minorities

inhabit include Jishou City, Huayuan County, Yongshun County, Cili County and

Yongding District. Total population of project villages is 49441, including a total

ethnic minority population of 38423, accounting for 77.7%. Among ethnic minorities,

total population of Tujia is 28277, accounting for 73.6%; total population of Miao is

10146, accounting for 26.4%.

Analysis on the difference of Tujia nationality in the demonstration area: In

project villages, total population of Tujia nationality is 28277, accounting for 57.2%

of the total population. According to the proportion of Tujia nationality in the

population of demonstration areas, 31 villages inhabited by Tujia are divided into

three categories: project villages where population of Tujia nationality accounts for

less than 30% of population of demonstration areas; project villages where population

of Tujia nationality accounts for 30% - 50% of population of demonstration areas;

project villages where population of Tujia nationality accounts for 50% and above of

population of demonstration areas. According to the definition of minorities of the

World Bank, various categories of project villages are identified through interview

and other methods. It is concluded: local residents do not identify themselves as a

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unique cultural group. Their customs and habits are substantially consistent with Han

nationality. In addition to Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival

and other traditional festivals as Han nationality, there are “going to the last fair

before spring festival”, “the 3rd day of the Third Lunar Month”, “the 8th day of the

Fourth Lunar Month”, “the 6th day of the Sixth Lunar Month” and “the 7th day of the

Seventh Lunar Month” and other local ethnic festivals. Local residents see no

difference with Han in terms of language, planting habit, customs and habits.

Language: Since the Tujia nationality lives together with Han nationality in

demonstration area for a long time, people with Tujia nationality have begun to use

Chinese quite early; Religious belief: In the demonstration area, Tujia nationality

believes in Taoism and pays tribute to the ancestors. Tujia nationality in the

demonstration area mainly believe in Taoism and worship their ancestors. Tujia

nationality believe in many gods, and their religious beliefs include natural worship.

Land, rocks, mountains, rivers, and water are all objects of worship. Almost every

household in Tujia nationality worships the ancestral shrine in the hall house. The

festivals of the Tujia nationality in demonstration area mainly include dragon-boat

racing and “the 6th day of the Sixth Lunar Month”. The Tujia nationality pays great

attention to traditional festivals especially the Spring Festival which is the most

ceremonious. Local customs: Before marriage of women of Tujia nationality in the

demonstration area, there is a custom of “crying wedding”. Before wedding, if a girl

cannot practice this custom, she will be discriminated and ridiculed. However,

currently, this custom has already been gradually faded. Mode of production: Mainly

planting rice. During the busy farming season, wheat is cut and seedlings are planted,

and grain is sown and fields are raised. For families with a shortage of labor force,

everyone will take the initiative to help each other. The host family only needs to

provide food. This custom of helping each other has become a custom through long

time usage for thousands of years.

In project villages, total population of Miao nationality is 10146, accounting for

20.5%. According to the proportion of Miao nationality in the population of

demonstration areas, 24 villages inhabited by Miao nationality are divided into two

categories: project villages where population of Miao nationality accounts for less

than 50% of population of demonstration areas; project villages where population of

Miao nationality accounts for 50% and above of population of demonstration areas.

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According to the definition of minorities of the World Bank, various categories of

project villages are identified through interview and other methods. Local residents do

not identify themselves as a unique cultural group. Their customs and habits are

substantially consistent with Han nationality. In addition to Spring Festival, Lantern

Festival and Dragon Boat Festival and other traditional festivals as Han nationality,

there are “going to the last fair before spring festival”, “the 3rd day of the Third Lunar

Month”, “the 8th day of the Fourth Lunar Month”, “the 6th day of the Sixth Lunar

Month” and “the 7th day of the Seventh Lunar Month” and other local ethnic

festivals. Local residents see no difference with Han in terms of language, planting

habit, customs and habits. Miao in Demonstration Areas does not have its unique or

other recognized cultural features, living customs or local customs; the social,

economic, cultural and political organization has no difference from that of

mainstream races; the religious, sacrificing and totem worship activities do not have

obvious difference from the mainstream society. Management mode of villages

inhabited by Miao in demonstration areas is substantially consistent with that of most

rural areas in China, i.e. the combination of township government and village

governance. Language used in daily communication of Miao in demonstration areas is

local dialect, and characters used in daily life are Chinese characters. Lands of Miao

in demonstration areas are owned by the collective; the management mode of contract

responsibility system based on the household with remuneration linked to output is

adopted.

Therefore, through in-depth investigation and analysis on Miao and Tujia people

in demonstration areas, considering that Miao and Tujia people in demonstration areas

have a high degree of integration, which does not conform to the World Bank’s

definition of minority, the World Bank’s minority policy is not applicable and there is

no need to prepare the minority development plan.

Social Impact and Risks

The assessment team considers that positive influence of Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project:

Short-term positive influence is mainly reflected in: (1) Raise awareness of

stakeholders in producing safety products by project promotion. (2) Through the

training of the project, the farmer households’ skills in production safety products can

be enhanced. (3) Through public participation, consensus on the agricultural land

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heavy metal pollution control will be achieved. (4) Improve infrastructure and create

conditions for agricultural production. (5) The environmental management and the

agricultural environment monitoring provide technical supports for agricultural

product quality management. (6) The risk resistance capacity of the farmer

households and the product competitiveness are improved by cultivating 47 farmer’s

specialized cooperatives.

Medium and long-term positive influence is mainly reflected in: (1) Significant

ecological benefits: The heavy metal pollution of farmland has been administered in

the project through adoption of measures including source control, dynamic

monitoring and soil repair to a certain extent, thus benefiting improvement of

ecological environment; (2) Considerable economic benefits: The heavy metal

pollution control of farmland in the project can realize improvement of selling prices

of agricultural products, lowering of agricultural production cost, improvement of

land utilization efficiency and improvement of added value of agricultural products,

which benefits the improvement of farmers’ production and living standards; (3)

Obvious social benefits: The implementation of the Project benefits return of migrant

workers. In particular, it creates more jobs for women. It is in favor of poverty

alleviation of low-income households and formulation of farmland pollution

administration model.

The social assessment team thinks that the social risks of Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project are mainly reflected in the

followings:

Social risks of cropping restructuring. The project does not involve land

acquisition and demolition, and does not trigger the involuntary resettlement policy of

the World Bank; therefore, there is no need to prepare the resettlement plan. But there

will be a need for restructuring crops in 66.7 hectares of heavily contaminated

farmland according to plan, which includes 33.3 hectares in Jishou City and 33.4

hectares in Hengnan County respectively. Planting other alternative crops requires

change of planting habits and techniques. Although the project management offices

and the project team have already carried out in-depth investigation and analysis,

there may still be some farmers who are not willing cooperate in the process. (2) The

issue of distribution and management of subsidies for change of cropping system.

Consensus has been reached on subsidy standards, but more farmers are worried

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about the transparency of the subsidy. (3) Labor supply problem. At present, many

villages are “empty villages” because young and middle-aged laborers are all working

outside. Planting of fruits and seedlings requires more laborers, which may face the

problem of insufficient labor.

Economic risks: Economic risks are mainly reflected in three aspects: (1) Social

risks resulting from land rehabilitation due to preservation of original planting habits:

The first category is risk of marketing. Rice is replanted to low-cadmium varieties,

and thus quality of rice grain will be affected to some extent, which means that

existing marketing channels and methods may be affected. The second category refers

to risk of failure of food to reach standard. During the period of governance, some

food may not completely reach the standard, which may influence food selling price.

The third category is risk of output reduction. Replanting low-cadmium varieties will

increase the risk of rice blast and may further lead to reduction of output. According

to survey data: the top concern for farmer households is reduction of actual income of

farmer households in short term (78.4%), followed by increase of agricultural

production labor amount (33.3%) as well as marketing risk incurred by replanting

varieties (31.2%). (2) Social risks from farmland restructuring: First, risk of cost

benefit of replanted crops. Second, risk of marketing. It is required to establish new

sales channels for replanted fruit trees, vegetables and cotton, so as to result in sales

risk. Third, risk of management. Replanting will not only implement new

requirements on technical management of replanted crops but also require project

villages to establish fair, transparent and standardized management procedures. (3)

Social risks from adjustment of cropping system: Changes in the planting pattern may

increase the input of labor force. If the input cannot be reasonably subsidized, the net

income will be reduced. According to survey data: in the process of restructuring, the

top concern for farmer households is reduction of actual income in the same year

(51.4%), followed by unmarketable replanted crops (38.5%).

Public opinion risks: Public opinion risks are mainly classified into four types:

The first category is the risk of improper attribution. The existing pollution condition

is resulted from multiple aspects. Administration of soil pollution of farmland before

launch of administration of other pollution may cause the local residents to attribute

all problems to heavy metal pollution so as to put forward relevant claims. The second

category is the risk of exaggeration of heavy metal pollution. Government

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departments leading the launch of farmland heavy metal pollution control in

demonstration area can easily attach the label of heavy metal standard-surpassing in

all agricultural products in demonstration area. The third category is the risk of

resident’s environmental protection awareness. The main stakeholder groups have

different orientations in their roles played in environmental pollution and

environmental protection. They neither think that they shall take responsibility for

surrounding environmental pollution nor believe that they are one of subjects

involved in environmental governance.

Risk of vulnerability of disadvantaged groups such as minorities and low-income

individuals. To-be-included project areas will involve 11391 people just out of

poverty including 46594 left-behind seniors, 7336 people with disabilities and 9341

left-behind women and 31 project villages in the five project counties and cities at

Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi Prefecture where Tujia and Miao dominate, among which 11

project villages have more Miao people and 20 project villages have more Tujia

people. Miao people in the eleven project villages of three project counties namely

Huayuan County, Yongshun County and Jishou City amount to above 30%. To reduce

the vulnerability of these disadvantaged groups, this Project will take powerful

measures to make them participate in and benefit from the project on an equal basis.

Risk of land transfer. There are mainly three types: Firstly, is a blind pursuit of

high transfer rate without consideration of the local natural conditions and realities in

development and without any respect to the intentions and autonomous rights of

farmers; Secondly is a lack of an exit mechanism in contractual rights of land, which

can hardly protect the farmer’s benefits and will affect the grain production safety. For

example, non-standard transfer contracts prevent the farmers’ benefits from being

guaranteed. Third is transfer without title affirmation due to the delay in granting a

certificate for land title affirmation and registration, which can easily cause disputes

over land.

Project proposals and action plans

To ensure a smooth implementation of ‘Safety and Quality Improvement Project

for Producing Area of Agricultural Products’ in the to-be-included project area, it is

necessary to follow the supporting policies as below: (1) to strengthen farmer’s

participation in trainings, form a farmland governance association and establish a full

participation and complaint mechanism; (2) to work out a basic compensation

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package and a subsidy scheme to ensure farmers’ income increase and avoid or reduce

to the maximum extent the negative effects on farmers caused by the governance of

polluted farmlands; (3) to enhance the publicity and training and the guidance of

public opinions and mitigate the risks of public opinions during the governance; (4) to

observe the original RPF and incorporate the measures and plans for helping the

disadvantaged groups.

In addition, the Social Assessment Team found problems when monitoring the

original project including incomplete pre-project work, slow implementation and

inconspicuous effects of project driven employment. To better give play to the

positive effects of the project and avoid repeated problems in the to-be-included

project areas, the Social Assessment Team also proposes to optimize the pre-project

implementation scheme, enhance the implementation and monitoring of agronomic

measures, speed up the construction and management of field works and push forward

and promote the guidance of the project for farmland cooperative economy.

In the meantime, to have an effective control over the COVID-19 epidemic, the

PMO will also have to set up a leading group for COVID-19 epidemic for planning

epidemic prevention work and handling with any emergency.

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1. Introduction

1.1 Brief introduction to the project

1.1.1 Project background

Hunan is known for its nonferrous metals; of 160 mineral reserves found in the

world, 140 varieties are found in Hunan. And tungsten, antimony, bismuth, zinc, lead

and tin reserves range top in the country. The exploitation history is as long as 2,700

years. This brings abundant mineral resources to Hunan, but simultaneously it also

brings severe heavy metal pollution in local regions. The serious land heavy metal

pollution of Hunan Province is an important cause resulting in standard surpassing of

cadmium in rice. Under this background, in order to administer heavy metal pollution

in producing places of agricultural products, improve quality and safety of agricultural

products and safeguard people’s life health, Agriculture Commission of Hunan

Province plans to utilize World Bank loan to implement “Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project”.

1.1.2 Project overview

In consideration of Hunan Province as the main agricultural production area,

pollution levels and types of heavy metals in the soil and other factors, 14 counties are

selected by means of expert consultation as the Project Counties including, Hengyang

County, Yongding District, Jishou City, Baojing County, Huayuan County, Yongshun

County, Cili County, Zhongfang County, Anhua County, Hengnan County, Linwu

County, Yizhang County, Lengshuitan District and Qiyang County.

The main contents of the project cover four aspects: sustainable management of

farmland pollution, agricultural environment monitoring and management, project

capacity construction and project management and assessment.

1. Sustainable management of farmland pollution

In the light of the effective data analysis of rice, agriculture endogenous and

exogenous sources, agricultural production management and so on in the

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Demonstration Area, specific risk management measures, mainly including

engineering measures, agronomic measures, pest and disease integrated management

and other measures, etc. should be taken. Different control measures will be taken

according to the risk degrees, the risk control area in the demonstration area is

estimated to be 8000 hectares.

(2) Agricultural environment monitoring and management

Measures agricultural environment monitoring and management including:

Establish the agricultural environment monitoring and early warning system,

investigate content of pollutants in agricultural products in the demonstration area;

monitor input/output balance of farmland pollutants. Make related local rules and

regulations and technical draft standard for control & prevention of farmland pollution

and recovery. Provide technical support for control of pollution emission for

enterprises discharging heavy metal which severely affects pollution sources.

(3) Project capacity construction

In this project, the government officials and technical personnel will be

organized for study and training to improve project management capacity. Organize

local benefited farmers and main planting farmers for training to enhance their

reproject awareness of severity of pollution of farmland and agricultural products on

health as well as their soil management skills capability for sustainable utilization.

Organize implementation of a series of subject studies to support project

implementation and optimization of technical measures. Moreover, formulate the soil

environment protection action plan.

(4) Project management and assessment

The project management system is established to collect information and data of

farmland environmental quality variation in project implementation process. Establish

the integrated management evaluation system of farmland pollution; monitor and

evaluate project implementation results. Refine the project achievements. Purchase

office equipment needed by the project management organization as well as costs

incurred by daily management, purchase, financial management and project

supervision.

So far more than two years have passed since the Project was officially launched

for implementation. During the implementation, 11 project counties (namely Anhua

County, Cili County, Yongshun County, Huayuan County, Jishou City, Qiyang

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County, Linwu County, Lengshuitan District, Hengnan County, Hengyang County and

Yongding District) plan to include more project areas or enlarge the coverage of the

previous project areas based on the farmland pollution inspection data and project

need, which will involve 2270.5 hectare farmland, 29 townships (towns), 60

administrative villages and 113917 beneficiaries including 7336 people with

disabilities and 9341 left-behind women.

1.2 Project social assessment

1.2.1 Purpose and contents of social assessment

The emphasis of social impact assessment in this project is to determine

favorable and unfavorable influence on local social development goals by project

construction so as to fully recognize potential benefits and risks of the project and

take rational measures to avoid and remove social risks and social conflicts likely to

cause failure of the project to the largest degree, and to increase social benefit of

project investment. The social impact assessment in this project mainly covers:

(1) Collect social and economic development information of project affected

regions. Such information consists of community population, economic development,

social culture and political system affected by this project as well as traditional

occupancy of land resources of local residents and natural resources they reply on for

survival.

(2) Determine critical stakeholders of the project, including directly or indirectly

benefited groups or organizations and directly and indirectly affected groups or

organizations suffering losses.

(3) Have a full consultation with stakeholders in this project. In each phase of

project preparation and implementation, carry out free and full consultation with

affected population in advance; and establish the complaint channel and procedure for

disadvantaged groups.

(4) Social influence and risk analysis: Assess positive and negative influence of

the project mainly from the macro-perspective. In project construction period, local

farmland irrigation facilities and travel roads may be affected to some degree in

project implementation period. The social impact assessment will focus on analysis of

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possible social risks brought by the project, in particular, pay close attention to

potential unfavorable influence on ethnic minorities, old people, the disabled, low

income people, single parent family and other disadvantaged groups as well as

farmers with requisition of land.

(5) Analyze and strive for attitude support of the local community for project

construction. After diagnosing benefit conflicts likely to occur in project construction

process, further understand the willingness and attitude of such stakeholders. Strive

for enough support of local communities and residents for the project by participation

and consultation of social assessment.

(6) Collect suggestions of local communities to project planning and

implementation. The World Bank loan project shall guarantee that ethnic minorities

can benefit from the project fairly in planning. The project owner shall take measures

to prevent unfavorable influence on ethnic minority communities. To realize the goals

of social impact assessment, the social impact assessment team in the process collects

opinions and suggestions of local affected population and communities. They also

discuss with sample population in the demonstration area with the social impact

assessment so that the conclusions and measures of social impact assessment will be

proper. To prevent social conflicts and relieve negative impact on local residents and

communities, the social impact assessment team also provides the proper

countermeasures to the project planner.

1.2.2 Main methods for social assessment

To involve the beneficiaries in the demonstration area in this social evaluation so

that we could get real and abundant first-hand data, we used participatory evaluation

method and tools for social evaluation including structured interview, participatory

rating and sorting, matrix analysis of project impacts, site survey of community

resources, resource mapping, etc. Different methods were used for data collection and

processing including document literatures, site surveys, questionnaires, social

statistics, etc. These guaranteed voluntary, equal and positive participation of different

beneficiary groups and farmer households of different types in the project villages in

the Project.

(I) Collection of literature and statistical data: To know the project

4

background, project summary and social and economic information in the to-be-

included project areas. First of all, we need to have a general understanding, during

the site survey, of the to-be-included project counties by means of literatures and

collection of statistic data.

(1) Collect city annals, county annals and other literature stating local conditions

and customs of the demonstration area, in particular, statistical data of social and

economic conditions of ethnic minority regions in the demonstration area.

(2) Collect statistical yearbook of social and economic conditions of the

demonstration area, bulletin of national economy and social development of each

county in each year as well as literature provided by the county PMO.

(3) Collect social development regulations and policies of the demonstration area

including important national level social development laws, policies as well as some

important local regulations and policies made by Hunan Province.

(II) Questionnaire survey: In the key surveying communities and project

affected areas, the assessment team carries out questionnaire survey of main

stakeholders. The sample of questionnaire survey consists of different main

stakeholder groups; special attention has been paid to women, ethnic minorities, low

income people and other disadvantaged groups.

The cluster sampling mode is adopted in questionnaire survey. Distribution is

made in the equal distribution principle. First of all, every project county planning for

new areas intends to be distributed with 80-100 questionnaires. Secondly, two of the

new project areas will be selected randomly and further one of the villages in each

new project area selected. Each village will be distributed with 40-50 questionnaires.

A total percentage of women, minorities (if any) and low-income individuals is

required to be 30% of total samples. At last, social evaluation questionnaire survey

and ethnic group identification questionnaire survey are conducted respectively in the

selected villages.

In the end, 1100 social assessment questionnaires are distributed in 11 project

counties, 949 of which are effectively recovered, and the questionnaire recovery rate

is 86.3%; 500 ethnic identification questionnaires are distributed in 5 project districts

and counties inhabited by ethnic minorities, 365 of which are effectively recovered,

and the questionnaire recovery rate is 73.0%. The sample distribution is shown in

Table 1-1.

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6

Table 1-1 Sample Distribution

No. Demonstration areas/Project counties

Social assessment questionnaires

Ethnic minority questionnaires

Released quantity

Effective quantity

Released quantity

Effective quantity

1 Anhua County 100 942 Huayuan County 100 83 100 683 Yongding District 100 83 100 624 Cili County 100 88 100 735 Yongshun County 100 90 100 826 Jishou City 100 90 100 807 Hengyang County 100 838 Lengshuitan District 100 829 Qiyang County 100 8910 Linwu County 100 8311 Hengnan County 100 84

Total 1,100 949 500 365

(III) In-depth interview: In the key surveying project affected area, the

assessment team carries out in-depth interview. The selected targets consist of some

proportion of women, ethnic minorities and low-income households. In the end, the

Evaluation Team selected different interest-related parties for interview. A total of 60

villagers received in-depth interview including 20 women (33.3%), 20 people from

minorities (33.3%) and 20 low income people (33.3%). A total of 8 directors of

farmers’ cooperatives and main planting farmers have received in-depth interview. A

total of 8 directors of the government at the town and township level and leaders of

the Village Committees in the Project Villages have received in-depth interview. A

total of 10 administrators and implementers of the Project Counties have received in-

depth interview.

(4) Site survey: Surveys are conducted on site. Observational survey is used to

get direct and emotional social information including village appearance, human

settlement, farmland crop growing environment, etc.

(5) Social statistics: Results of questionnaire surveys are input into Epidata for

various statistic analysis by the software SPSS22.2 including frequency analysis,

mean value analysis, etc.

1.2.2 Scheduling of social assessment

The Social Assessment Team was divided into two survey teams from December

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16, 2020 to December 25, 2020 for site survey one after another in all project counties

and social assessment on new and enlarged project counties. Details are as below:

(I) Research schedule of the first group (8 counties and districts in total)

Anhua County (16th), Cili county (17th), Yongding District (18th), Yongshun

County (21st), Baojing County (22nd), Huayuan County (23rd), Jishou City (24th),

Zhongfang County (25th)

(I) Research schedule of the second group (6 counties and districts in total)

Hengnan County (16th), Hengyang County (17th), Yizhang County (18th),

Linwu County (21st), Qiyang County (22nd), Lengshuitan (23rd)

2.Basic Social-Economic Analysisof Project Counties

2.1 Social-economic analysisof Hunan Province

2.1.1 Socioeconomic status

The socioeconomic status of Hunan Province is characteristic of:

First, the economic aggregate ranks at national top level. Gross production

value in Hunan Province in 2019 reached RMB 3975.212 billion, an increase of 7.6%

over the previous year. GDP among 31 provinces, cities and regions ranked the ninth.

The added value in the primary industry was 364.69 billion Yuan, with the growth of

3.2%; in the secondary industry 1.4947 trillion Yuan, growth of 7.8%; in the tertiary

industry 2.11582 trillion Yuan, growth of 8.1%. The total regional output value per

capita was 57,540 Yuan with the growth of 7.1% calculated based on permanent

resident population. The contribution rate of primary industry, secondary industry and

tertiary industry to economic growth is 4.0%, 40.9% and 55.1%.

Second, rice output ranks top national wide. The grain planting area in Hunan

Province was 4.6164 million hectares in 2019 with the reduction of 0.1315 million

hectares compared with last year. Among them, summer grain crops cover 102,500

ha., a decrease of 21,200 ha.; early season rice covers 1,094,600 ha., a decrease of

143,600 ha.; autumn grain crops cover 3,419,300 ha., an increase of 33,300 ha. In

terms of autumn grain crops, middle season rice and single-season late rice cover

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1,602,100 ha., an increase of 129,600 ha.; double-season rice covers 1,158,500 ha., a

decrease of 139,800 ha. Annual cereal yield was 29.748 million tons with the

reduction of 1.6%. Among which the summer grain output was 413,000 tons with the

reduction of 19.6%; that of early rice was 6.614 million tons with the reduction of

12.5%; the autumn grain was 22.721 million tons with the growth of 2.5%. The

newly-added effective irrigation area of agricultural land was 30,200 hectares in the

whole year and newly-added water conservation irrigation area was 38,700 hectares;

75,000 various types of hydraulic projects started construction with investment fund

of 26.7 billion Yuan; 1.02 billion m3 earthwork of hydraulic project has been

completed; 5445.8km rural road has been improved and renovated. In 2019, Hunan

with its 3.1% cultivated land provides 4.5% grain. It ranks the 10th among main grain

producing provinces. The rice output accounts for 12.8% of the national output,

ranking the 1st, and making special important contribution to national food security.

Thirdly, the population reaches nearly 70 million. Hunan is one of the most

populous provinces. Permanent residents across the Province in 2019 reached

69,183,800, an increase of 196,100 over the previous year at a growth rate of 2.84%.

Among them, the population of age 0-15 amounted to 14,823,800 (21.43%), age 16-

59 amounted to 41,472,100 (59.94%) and age 60 and above 12,887,900 (18.63%).

Fourthly, the population of minorities reaches 6.8 million. Hunan is a

multiethnic province, where there are 55 nationalities including Han nationality, Tujia,

Miao, Yao, Dong, Bai and Hui. Among them, nine permanently reside including Han

nationality, Miao, Tujia, Dong, Yao, Hui, Zhuang and Bai. Most of these ethnic groups

reside in the mountainous areas in Xiangxi, Xiangnan and Xiangdong. The population

of the ethnic groups amounts to 6.8 million, about 10% of total population in Hunan

Province, most of whom reside in the mountainous areas in Xiangxi and Xiangnan

and a few of whom reside across Hunan Province. Miao and Tujia dominate the ethnic

groups mainly in the northwest of Hunan Province where Xiangxi Tujia and Miao

Autonomous Prefecture is located.

Fifth, farmland is severely polluted by heavy metal. According to the Report

on the National General Survey of Soil Contamination in 2014, the soil contamination

nationwide was 16.1%, which was beyond the limit. Arable areas were especially

most serious, which was up to 19.4%. Grain security faces severe challenges. Seen

from pollution distribution, soil pollution in South China is more severe than that in

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North China. Soil pollution problem in Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and

Northeast China old industrial base is prominent. The overproof heavy metal of soil in

Southwest and Mid-South Regions is severe. The distribution of 4 inorganic

pollutants, including cadmium, mercury, arsenic and lead, increases gradually from

the northwest to the southeast and from the northeast to the southwest. According to

data, the mineral poisoned and heavy metal polluted land area in Hunan Province is

up to 28000 hectares, accounting for 13% of total area of the whole province. Of 14

cities and prefectures in Hunan, 8 are in Xiangjiang River Basin. The production and

living water of more than 40 million people is polluted.

2.1.2 Situation of heavy metal pollution

1) Compositions of heavy metal industries: enterprises involving heavy

metal in Hunan are as many as 1450. The industries involving heavy metal pollution

(as per the number of enterprise) are: non-ferrous metal metallurgy and rolling

industry, non-ferrous metal mining and separation industry, chemical raw material and

chemical product manufacturing industry, ferrous metal metallurgy and rolling

industry, metal product industry, coal mining and separation by washing industry,

leather, fur, feather (down feather) and their products industry, general equipment

manufacturing industry, electric machinery and equipment manufacturing industry,

transport equipment manufacturing industry, non-metal ores mining and separation

industry, non-metal ores product manufacturing industry, communication equipment,

computer and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry, ferrous metal

mining and separation industry, special equipment manufacturing industry, waste

resources and materials recycling and processing industry, wood processing and

wood, bamboo, vine, palm and straw product industry, pharmaceutical industry,

rubber product industry, instrument meter and culture, office machinery

manufacturing industry, power and thermal power production and supply industry,

printing industry and recording media duplication, artware and other manufacturing

industries.

2) Distribution of industries involving heavy metal: industries involving

heavy metal in Hunan Province are mainly distributed in non-ferrous metal metallurgy

and rolling industry, non-ferrous metal mining and separation industry, chemical raw

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Non-ferrous metal mining and separation industry

Leather, fur, feather (down feather) and their products industry

Chemical raw material and chemical product manufacturing industry

Non-ferrous metal metallurgy and rolling industry

Other industries

material and chemical product manufacturing industry (sulfuric acid production

mainly), ferrous metal metallurgy and rolling industry (electrolytic manganese, iron

and steel industry mainly) and metal product industry (electroplate industry mainly).

See their proportion in Fig.2-1. The total enterprise quantity of the five industries

above accounts for 86.43% of total enterprises involved in heavy metal in the whole

province.

Figure 2-1 Distribution Map of Industries involved in Heavy Metal Pollution in Hunan

3) Regional distribution of industries involving heavy metal: the non-ferrous

metal metallurgy and rolling industry is mainly distributed in Chenzhou, Loudi and

Hengyang, accounting for 33%, 17% and 12% respectively in the whole province.

The metal mining and separation industry is mainly distributed in Chenzhou and

Xiangxi autonomous prefecture, accounting for 47% and 20% respectively of the

whole province. The chemical raw material and chemical product manufacturing

industry is mainly distributed in Hengyang, Changsha and Xiangtan, accounting for

20%, 17% and 13% respectively of the whole province. Seen from Fig.2-2, heavy

metal pollution enterprises and heavy metal pollution in Hunan province mainly

concentrate in Xiangjiang River Basin, South Hunan and West Hunan. Non-ferrous

metal mining, separation and metallurgy are concentrating in other regions such as

Anhua County and Taojiang County in Yiyang City, Hanshou County and Shimen

County in Changde City, which lead to severe heavy metal pollution.

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Figure 2-2 Distribution Map of Industries involved in Heavy Metal Pollution and Key

Districts/Counties in Hunan

2.2 Social-economic analysis of project counties

2.2.1 Social-economic analysis of Anhua County

(1) County overview

The population urbanization rate is close to 40%. There were 1.0088 million

registered population in Anhua County at the end of 2019, the permanent resident

population was 0.861 million, including 0.3339 million permanent population in

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urban and its urbanization rate was 38.78%. The birth rate was 8.96‰; the mortality

rate was 6.63‰ and natural growth rate was 2.32‰. There are 26 nationalities in

Anhua County, including Han Nationality, Tujia Nationality, Miao Nationality,

Mongolian Nationality, etc.

The total economic aggregate remains stable. In 2019, the total output value

reached 23.218 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 6.7%. Among them, the

added value in the primary industry was 4.461 billion Yuan, with the growth of 3.1%;

added value in the secondary industry was 7.689 billion Yuan, with the growth of

7.8%; added value in the tertiary industry was 11.068 billion Yuan, with the growth of

7.2%. The ratio of three industries was 19.2: 33.1: 47.7; the proportion of primary

industries increased by 2.9 percentage points; the proportion of secondary industries

decreased by 0.7 percentage points, and the proportion of tertiary industries decreased

by 2.2 percentage points. Contribution rate of three industries on economic growth

was 8.6%, 42.9% and 48.5% respectively; GDP growth driven by three industries was

0.6%, 2.9% and 3.3% respectively. The per capita GDP of the county was 26,986

Yuan calculated based on permanent resident population.

Adjustment and optimization of agricultural structure. In 2019, it realized a

total output value of RMB 8.124 billion in the agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry

and fishing industries in the whole year with a growth rate of 3.3% compared with

same period last year. The grain sown area was 656,000 mu with total grain output of

229,000t. Sowing areas of grains and oil reach 1,044,500 mu and the comprehensive

agricultural mechanization rate reaches 63.3% The main grain crop in the county is

rice. The planting type is divided into double cropping and single cropping with main

forms of rice-oilseed rape, rice-corn, rice-cabbage and rice-watermelon, etc. Main rice

varieties include Longliangyouhuazhan Rice, Y Liangyou 488, Y Liangyou 2108,

Huanghuazhan Rice, etc. Planting area is 27,700 hectares.

It is shown by the result of soil agricultural product monitoring data that among

five risk factors of cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and chromium, heavy metal

pollution risk exists in partial rice in Anhua County and the risk factor is cadmium.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Anhua County plans to add two demonstration areas (Le’an Town Demonstration

13

Area and Dafu Town Demonstration Area) and expand one demonstration area

(Qingtangpu Town Demonstration Area), including:

The newly-added, Le’an Town Demonstration Area is located in the Southwest

of Anhua County. Le’an Town Demonstration Area covers 4 villages, Gurong Village,

Wenshi Village, Hengshi Village, Yizhong Village, with an area of 2300 mu, and the

beneficiaries are 8402. The Demonstration Area focuses on paddy rice growing in one

season and oilseed rapes or paddy rice growing in double seasons. Farmlands might

be possibly polluted by heavy metals left from history or by the ceramics plant.

Cadmium pollution is a dominant type in farmland soil pollution, which is mainly of

slightly local pollution.

The newly-added, Dafu Town Demonstration Area is located in the Southeast

mountainous area of Anhua County. Dafu Town Demonstration Area covers 2

villages, Mengjia Village, Muxi Village, with an area of 1100 mu, and the

beneficiaries are 5444. The demonstration area mainly plants rice and adopts the

paddy rice growing in one season and oilseed rape. Farmlands were polluted by heavy

metals in the Three Wastes discharged by the antimony ore businesses once existing in

the past. Farmlands might also be polluted by the soil background value or

agricultural inputs, etc. Cadmium pollution is a dominant type in farmland soil

pollution, which is mainly of light degree.

Qingtangpu Town is expanded on the basis of the original demonstration area, it

covers 2 villages, Dongtian Village and Shaping Village, with an area of 1600 mu, and

the beneficiaries are 5313. The demonstration area mainly plants rice, corn and peanut

and adopts the rice growing in one-season cropping system. Farmlands were polluted

by heavy metals caused by coal mining. Farmlands might also be polluted by the soil

background value or excessive agricultural inputs, etc. Cadmium pollution is a

dominant type in farmland soil pollution, which is mainly of light degree.

It is shown by the result of soil agricultural product monitoring data that among

five risk factors of cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and chromium, heavy metal

pollution risk exists in partial rice in Anhua County and the risk factor is cadmium.

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2.2.2 Social-economic analysis of Cili County

(1) County overview

The population urbanization rate is close to 50%. At the end of 2019, there

were 240,637 households in Cili County with total registered population of 690,390.

The permanent resident population was 619,600 at the end of year, including 293,100

permanent population in urban and its urbanization rate was 47.3%. Cili County is the

multiple-nationality county and 17 nationalities, including Han Nationality, Tujia

Nationality, Bai Nationality, Hui Nationality and Miao Nationality, live here; among

them, the minority population with Tujia Nationality as focus accounts for 61% of

total population.

The total economic aggregate grws steadily. In 2019, the total output value of

Cili County reached 17.82853 billion Yuan with the growth of 7.4% compared with

the last year. Among them, the added value in the primary industry was 3.1683 billion

Yuan, with the growth of 3.4%; the added value in the secondary industry was

3.11078 billion Yuan, with the growth of 6.8%; among them, the added value of

industry was 1.46113 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 7.5%; the added

value of the construction industry was 1.65161 billion Yuan, with the growth of 6.1%;

the added value in the tertiary industry was 11.54945 billion Yuan, with the growth of

8.7%. The total regional output value per capita was 28,834 Yuan (calculated based on

permanent resident population), equaling to USD4,174 based on average exchange

rate in 2019. The structural adjustment was constantly optimized that the ratio of

added value of three industries on total county production output was 17.8: 17.4: 64.8.

In 2019, the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects was

achieved 93.5%.

Quality and efficiency improved in agricultural production. In 2019, the

arable land area across the County reached 806,500 Chinese mu, among which

653,800 Chinese mu was cultivated land area and 875,200 Chinese mu was used for

grains. The total grain yield reached 316,600 tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.6%. A

soil erosion area of 2.0 square kilometers was controlled, an effective farmland

irrigation area of 300 hectares newly added and a water-saving irrigation area of 140

hectares newly added. The main grain crop in the county was rice, the main planting

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type is single cropping and double cropping with main form of rice-vegetable, rice-

fertilizer, rice-rape and rice-idle, etc.

It is shown as monitoring data analysis on agricultural products that among five

risk factors of cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and chromium, heavy metal pollution

risk exists in partial rice in Cili County, and the risk factors are cadmium, arsenic and

mercury.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Cili County plans to add one demonstration area (Xiangshi Town Demonstration

Area) and expand four demonstration areas (Tongjinpu Town Demonstration Area,

Dongyueguan Town Demonstration Area, Yangliupu Township Demonstration Area

and Sanhe Town Demonstration Area), including:

The newly-added, Xiangshi Town Demonstration Area is located in the

Northwest of Cili County. The demonstration area covers 2 villages, Xurita Village

and Baiyang Village with an area of 415 Chinese mu and a population of 2990. Rice

and corn are staple crops in the demonstration area, and adopts the one-season

cropping system. Farmlands were polluted by heavy metals due to Xiangjiaxi coal

mining business. The enrichment coefficient of common rice varieties used by farmers

is not high and the risk of rice is low. There are different levels of heavy metal

pollution in farmland soil, and the main risk factor is cadmium.

Sanhe Town is located in the northwest of Cili County. The demonstration area

covers Zhuangta Village, with an area of 60 Chinese mu and a population of 1687.

The planting systems in the demonstration area are rice-rape and rice-vegetables.

Cadmium and arsenic pollution are the main types of farmland soil pollution,

cadmium pollution risk is mainly low or none and arsenic pollution risk is high and

extremely high. The rice varieties commonly used by farmers have a high enrichment

coefficient and such rice exceeds the standard, which is of light pollution.

Dongyueguan Town is located in the northeast of Cili County. The demonstration

area covers Liudong Village and Xinhua Village, and has an area of 1180 Chinese mu

and a population of 4705. Rice, corn and oilseed rape are staple crops in the

demonstration area with planting systems of rice-oilseed rape and rice-vegetables. The

heavy metal pollution of farmland was caused due to the sewage irrigation from

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Zhuangta Reservoir. The source of pollution, Zhuangta Coal Mine, has been shut

down, and after testing, the water quality of Zhuangta Reservoir has reached the

standard. The enrichment coefficient of common rice varieties used by farmers is not

high and the risk of rice is low. There are different levels of heavy metal pollution in

farmland soil, and the main risk factor is cadmium.

Yangliupu Township is located in the northeast of Cili County. The

demonstration area covers 3 administrative villages (neighborhood committees),

Yangliu Neighborhood Committee, Fuxing Village and Xinpu Village with an area of

1650 Chinese mu and a population of 7602. Rice and oilseed rape are staple crops in

the demonstration area with planting systems of rice-oilseed rape and rice-vegetables.

Farmland is affected by sewage irrigation in Zhuangta Coal Mine, as well as heavy

metal pollution caused by white garbage and domestic garbage. Zhuangta Coal Mine

as the source of pollution has been shut down and the water quality of the Zhuangta

Reservoir has been tested to reach the standard. The enrichment coefficient of

common rice varieties used by farmers is not high and the risk of rice is low. There are

different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil, and the main risk factor is

cadmium.

Tongjinpu Town is located in the north-central part of Cili County. The

demonstration area covers Sihuping Village and Yanzi Neighborhood Committee,

with a population of 2596 and an area of 1060 Chinese mu. Planting systems in the

demonstration area is rice-rape and rice-vegitable. The heavy metal pollution of

farmland was caused due to the sewage irrigation from Zhuangta Reservoir. Zhuangta

Coal Mine as the source of pollution has been shut down and the water quality of the

Zhuangta Reservoir has been tested to reach the standard. The enrichment coefficient

of common rice varieties used by farmers is not high and the risk of rice is low. There

are different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil, and the main risk factor

is cadmium.

2.2.3 Social-economic analysis of Yongshun County

(1) County overview

The minority population accounts for 93.2%, and the urbanization rate

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reaches 42.8%. At the end of 2019, there were 164,300 households in the county

with total population of 536,100. Among them, minority population is 499,700. The

permanent resident population was 444,900, including urban population of 190,500

and rural population of 244,400. Urbanization rate of the whole county was 42.8%.

The economy in the County is not well developed, the aggregate economic

output remains low and financeremains vulnerable. In 2019, the total output value

of Yongshun County reached 8.64 billion Yuan with the growth of 6.7% compared

with the last year. Among them, the primary industry was 1.923 billion Yuan, with the

growth of 3.0%; the secondary industry was 1.536 billion Yuan, with the reduction of

1.2%; the tertiary industry was 5.181 billion Yuan, with the growth of 10.8%. The

output value per capita was 19,372 Yuan calculated based on permanent resident

population. The three industries structure of the County turned from 23.7: 21.9: 54.4

in the previous year to 22.3: 17.8: 59.9. The per capita disposable income of county

residents is 14,167 Yuan, with the growth of 10.1% and that of urban residents is

23,499 Yuan, with the growth of 8.3%. The per capita disposable income of rural

residents is 8823.01 Yuan, with the growth of 9.7%.

Agricultural and rural development moves forward at a steady pace. In

2019, the total cultivated land area across the County reached 39,830 hectares and the

crop sowing area in the County reached 980,700 Chinese mu (an increase of 0.15%),

with total grain yield reaching 218,000 tons (an increase of 2.97%), total rice yield

142,014 tons (an increase of 0.34%), total corn yield 36,987 tons (an increase of

13.36%), sweet potato yield 7,948 tons (an increase of 0.91%) and potato yield 27,680

tons (an increase of 5.58%). Single-season rice grows widely in Yongshun County

since it is a mountainous area. The cropping system is dominantly rice-rape and rice-

idle.

It is shown in the inspection result of soil heavy metal pollution inspection of

agricultural land in Yongshun County that heavy metal pollution exists in partial

agricultural land soil in Yongshun County to different degrees with main pollution risk

factor of cadmium.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Yongshun County plans to add two demonstration areas (Xiqi Town

18

Demonstration Area and Shaba Town Demonstration Area) and expand one

demonstration area (Wanping Town Demonstration Area). Including:

The newly-added, Xiqi Town Demonstration Area is located in the West of

Yongshun County. The demonstration area covers four villages, Liulangxi Village,

Xiqi Village, Hexin Village and Wachang Village, with an area of 1000 Chinese mu

and a population of 7827. Each village has a farmers’ specialized cooperative. The

demonstration area mainly plants rice and adopts the one-season cropping system.

Since the farmland is polluted by the heavy metal caused by “three wastes” of

enterprises involving heavy metal pollution, the rice and sediment test samples exceed

the standards, and the pollution sources have been effectively controlled. Cadmium

pollution is the main type of farmland pollution and it is mainly slightly polluted.

The newly-added, Shaba Town Demonstration Area is located in the Northeast of

Yongshun County. The demonstration area covers two villages, Taozixi Village and

Xishaba Village, with an area of 1800 Chinese mu and a population of 5992. Rice,

oilseed rape, corn, soybean and peanut are staple crops in the demonstration area, and

adopts the one-season cropping system. Farmlands were polluted by heavy metals

caused by iron ore business. Farmlands might also be possibly polluted by excessive

agricultural inputs or the higher soil background value. Cadmium pollution is the

main type of farmland pollution and it is mainly slightly or moderately polluted.

Wanping Demonstration Area is located in the north of Yongshun County. The

Demonstration Area covers 3 administrative villages, Beiliping Village, Heping

Village and Shangping Village, with an area of 800 Chinese mu, main crops in the

village include rice, oilseed rapes, corns and potatoes; the population of the

demonstration area is 6120. Since the farmland is polluted by the heavy metal caused

by “three wastes” of enterprises involving heavy metal pollution, the rice and

sediment test samples exceed the standards, and the pollution sources have been

effectively controlled. The main farmland pollution type is cadmium pollution, and

there is still a small amount of unpolluted farmland.

2.2.4 Social-economic analysisof Huayuan County

(1) County overview

19

Population Overview. Huayuan County is located in central Xiangxi Tujia and

Miao Autonomous Prefecture with total land area of 1109.35km2. Huayuan County is

the typical “old, minor, lateral, poor, reservoir and mountain” area, which is the key

county of national poverty alleviation and development and regional development of

Wuling Mountain. There were 312,473 registered population in Huayuan County at

the end of 2019, among them, 160,464 were men, 152,009 were women, the

permanent resident population was 283,609. The per capita disposable income of

county residents is 160,64 Yuan, the per capita disposable income of urban residents is

26,516 Yuan, and that of rural residents is 9,510 Yuan.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the total output value reached

7.21215 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 6.1%. Among them, the added

value in the primary industry was 810.08 million Yuan, with the year-on-year growth

of 3.0%; added value in the secondary industry was 2.29671 billion Yuan, with the

year-on-year growth of 8.7%; added value in the tertiary industry was 4.10536 billion

Yuan, with the growth of 5.2%. The three industries structure turned from 10.2: 31.4:

58.4 in the previous year to 11.2: 31.8: 56.9. The output value per capita was 25,016

Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 8.7% calculated based on annual average

permanent resident population.

Agriculture Overview. In 2019, except producing grain crop, the county also

produces one-year cash crops and fruits; among them, grain crops mainly include rice,

corn, sweet potato, and soybean, etc.; the one-year cash crops mainly include rape,

peanut, vegetables, flue-cured tobacco and artemisia apiacea, etc.; fruits mainly

include orange, pear and kiwifruit, etc. Rice, oilseed rape, vegetables and other crops

are staple crops. Main planting systems are rice, rape-rice, rice-fertilizer, rice-

vegetable and so on. The sown area of agricultural crops in the year was 464,406

Chinese mu, the output was 177,077 tons. Grain crops cover a sowing area of 269,697

Chinese mu, among which cereals cover 219,483 Chinese mu, corns 63,523 Chinese

mu, beans 27,446 Chinese mu, tubers 22,768 Chinese mu and oil-bearing crops,

tobacco, Chinese herbs, vegetables and fruits respectively 61,171 Chinese mu, 21,800

Chinese mu, 12,937 Chinese mu, 71,563 Chinese mu and 4,898 Chinese mu. The total

grain output for across the year was 91,578 tons, with 81,745 tons of cereals.

(2) Demonstration area overview

20

Huayuan County plans to add one demonstration area (Biancheng Town

Demonstration Area):

The newly-added, Biancheng Town Demonstration Area is located in the West of

Huayuan County. The demonstration area includes Gaohe Village, the total area of

farmland in the demonstration area is 916 Chinese mu, and the main crop planted is

rice. The total population of the demonstration area is 1018. Farmland is polluted by

heavy metals caused by smelting, lead zinc ore and “three wastes” from other

enterprises involving in heavy metal pollution. The heavy metal content of rice and

soil test samples exceeds the standard but pollution sources have been effectively

controlled. A compound pollution of cadmium, arsenic and mercury is a dominant

type in farmland soil pollution, which reaches a medium level.

2.2.5 Social-economic analysisof Jishou City

(1) County overview

Population Overview. The total population with household registration of the

city was 312,400 in the end of 2019 with the growth of 0.26% compared with the last

year; the permanent resident population was 361,800 with the growth of 1.01%. The

urban population of the city was 268,400 and its urbanization rate was 74.18% with

the growth of 0.12%. The per capita disposable income of city residents was 27,357

Yuan, with the year-on-year growth of 9.1%. The per capita disposable income of

urban residents is 32,762 Yuan, increased 2,483 Yuan compared with the last year

with the growth of 8.2%. The per capita disposable income of rural residents is

11,761, increased 1,001Yuan with the growth of 9.3%.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the city total output value reached

19.3556 billion Yuan with the growth of 7.2% compared with last year. The added

value in the primary industry was 837.73 million Yuan, with the growth of 3.6%; in

the secondary industry 6.80896 billion Yuan, with the growth of 3.2%; in the tertiary

industry 11.70891 billion Yuan, with the growth of 9.9%. The total regional output

value per capita was 53,766 Yuan with the growth of 5.1% calculated based on

permanent resident population. The structure of three industries was 4.3: 35.2: 60.5 in

total production output.

21

Agricultural Development Overview. In 2019, the grain crops covered a

sowing area of 8,754 hectares all year round, a year-on-year decrease of 1.5%, among

which rice covered a sowing area of 5,607 hectares. The total grain yield across the

city reached 48,171 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 0.4%, among which rice yield

reached 36,050 tons. The planting type is double cropping and single cropping.

Double cropping with main forms of rice-oilseed rape and rice-vegetable; single

cropping with main form of rice-idle. The rice planting variety includes Xiangmi

5431, Y Liangyou 1998, Liangyou 584 and Chaoyou 2000.

The monitoring data results of soil agricultural products show that, in 5 risk

factors such as cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and chromium, the rice in Jishou City

has the risk of heavy metal pollution, and its main risk factor is cadmium.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Jishou City plans to add two demonstration areas (Qianzhou Demonstration Area

and Aizhai Demonstration Area) and reduce one demonstration area (Shuangtang

Demonstration Area. The Project can not be implemented in the Shuangtang

Demonstration Area due to the construction of a High-speed Rail New Town).

Including:

Qianzhou Demonstration Area located in Jishou downtown area. The

demonstration area was newly-added Gongqianghu Village and Sanchaping Village,

and has an area of 280 Chinese mu and a population of 4428. Farmlands were

polluted by heavy metals caused by businesses involving in heavy metal pollution

including chemical and mining businesses. Farmlands might also be possibly polluted

by excessive agricultural inputs or the higher soil background value. Rice was sample

tested to show a result of exceeding the standard. The source of pollution has been

effectively treated. A compound pollution of cadmium and arsenic is a dominant type

in rice pollution, which is of light degree.

Aizhai Demonstration Area is situated in the west entrance of Jishou City, the

municipality of Xiangxi Prefecture. The demonstration area was newly-added

Liantuan Village, Pinglang Village, Shu’er Village, Jiating Village, Hangtuo Village,

Hongping Village and Jilue Village. The Demonstration area covers 510 Chinese mu

and a population of 5,973. Crops include rice, rape, tea, vegetables, etc. The cropping

22

system is rice-rape. The farmland is polluted by the heavy metal caused by “three

wastes” of historical enterprises involving heavy metal pollution, the rice and

sediment test samples exceed the standards, and the municipal environmental

protection bureau will further take countermeasures for pollution sources in the area.

A compound pollution of cadmium and arsenic is a dominant type in farmland

pollution, which is of light degree.

2.2.6 Social-economic analysisof Qiyang County

(1) County overview

Population Overview. The permanent resident population was 856,700 at the

end of 2019, including urban population of 433,500 and rural population of 423,200,

and the urbanization rate was 50.6%, 1.34 percentage points higher than last year. It

was not the area inhabited by ethnic minorities. The per capita disposable income of

rural residents is 15,339 Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 9.5%, and that of urban

residents is 34,015 Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 9.7%.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the total output value of the county

reached 33.206 billion Yuan with the growth of 7.2% compared with the last year.

Among them, the added value in the primary industry was 5.092 billion Yuan, with

the growth of 3.1%; added value in the secondary industry was 9.717 billion Yuan,

with the growth of 7.9%; added value in the tertiary industry was 18.343 billion Yuan,

with the growth of 7.9%. The total regional output value per capita of the county was

38,769.7 Yuan calculated based on annual average permanent resident population. The

three industries structures of the county are 15.34: 29.42: 55.24.

Agriculture Overview. The grain planting area was 89,400 hectares in 2019

with the reduction of 0.39% compared with the last year. The total grain output was

572,000 tons, with the reduction of 0.23% compared with the last year. There are

1,103 farmers’ specialized cooperatives, 1,743 family farms and a land remediation

project (high-level farmland development) achieving a development of 60,000

Chinese mu of high-level farmland. The planting type is divided into triple cropping,

double cropping and single cropping. Triple cropping with main forms of rice-rice-

rape and rice-rice-vegetable; double cropping with main forms of rice-rice; single

23

cropping with main form of rice-idle and rice-vegetable.

According to the monitoring sampling and encrypted monitoring data of

agricultural land soil, heavy metal pollution exists in partial agricultural land soil in

Qiyang County to different degrees, and the main pollution risk factors are cadmium,

arsenic and mercury; in addition, it exists in the form of compound pollution.

(2) Demonstration Area Overview

Qiyang County plans to expanded on the basis of the original demonstration area

(Xiaojia Demonstration Area);

Xiaojia Demonstration Area is located in the central and southern hinterland of

Qiyang County in Hunan Province, 35 kilometers away from the county town. The

demonstration area covers Tongzi Village and Jiuniuba Village, and has an area of

1100 Chinese mu and a population of 5010. Xiaojia Demonstration Area mainly

plants rice and adopts the cropping system of single cropping rice + ratoon rice. In

addition to ensuring the basic ration of farmers, most of the rice is sold to local grain

processing enterprises. Farmland is affected by historical nickel-molybdenum mining

in the past, which leads to heavy metal pollution in farmland. Cadmium pollution is

the main type of farmland soil pollution, mainly with low risk or medium risk.

2.2.7 Social-economic analysisof Linwu County

(1) County overview

Population Overview. The permanent resident population was 347,200 at the

end of 2019, including rural population of 161,900 and urban population of 185,300.

The urbanization rate was 53.4%, 4.7 percentage points higher than at the beginning

of the year. The annual per capita disposable income of urban residents is 30,058

Yuan, with the growth of 8.4% compared with the last year. The annual per capita

disposable income of rural residents is 14,239 Yuan, with the growth of 9.7%. The

annual per capita disposable income of all residents is 20,529 Yuan, with the growth

of 9.9%.

Economic Development Overview. The total regional output value per capita

was 14,218.72 million Yuan with the growth of 7.9% in 2019 compared with the last

24

year calculated by comparable price. The output value per capita was 40,953 Yuan

with the growth of 9.1% (3423 Yuan) calculated based on permanent resident

population. The added value in the primary industry was 1.44425 billion Yuan, with

the growth of 3.6%; in the secondary industry 6.04887 billion Yuan, with the growth

of 8.0%; in the tertiary industry 6.7256 billion Yuan, with the growth of 8.9%.

Agriculture Overview. The total agricultural output value was 2491.11 million

Yuan with the growth of 3.6% compared with the last year calculated by comparable

price. Grain planting area of the county was 21,500 ha, with the growth of 0.6%

compared with the last year; The total grain output was 120,400 tons with the growth

of 0.4%. The main grain crop in the county is rice. The planting type is divided into

double cropping and single cropping; double cropping with main forms of rape-rice,

vegetable-rice, watermelon-rice and corn-rice, single cropping with main form of rice-

idle.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Linwu County plans to add two demonstration areas (Jinjiang Town

Demonstration Area and Shuidong Town Demonstration Area) and expand two

demonstration areas (Wushui Town Demonstration Area and Nanqiang Town

Demonstration Area). Including:

Jinjiang Town Demonstration Area is located in the Northeast of Linwu County.

Jinjiang Town Demonstration Area covers Xinhua Village, with an area of 374

Chinese mu, 703 households and a population of 2468. The Demonstration Area

mainly plants rice and adopts the single-season cropping system. Cadmium pollution

is the main type of farmland soil pollution and it is mainly low-risk.

Shuidong Town Demonstration Area is located in the East of Linwu County, 28

kilometers away from the city downtown. Shuidong Town Demonstration Area covers

Dongjiang Village, with an area of 248 Chinese mu, 260 households and a population

of 1164. The Demonstration Area mainly plants rice, rape and adopts the single-

season cropping system. Cadmium pollution is the main type of farmland soil

pollution and it is mainly low-risk.

Wushui Town Demonstration Area is located in the Southeast area of Linwu

County. Wushui Town Demonstration Area covers 2 villages, Zhenshang Village and

25

Yaofeng Village, with an area of 580 Chinese mu, 530 households and a population of

1900. The demonstration area mainly plants rice and adopts the one-season cropping

system. Cadmium pollution is the main type of farmland soil pollution, mainly with

low risk or medium risk.

Nanqiang Town Demonstration Area is located in the Southeast area of Linwu

County. The demonstration area covers four villages, Zhaijiang Village, Liantang

Village, Xiangtang Village and Tiantou Village, with an area of 1459.9 Chinese mu,

1938 households and a population of 6483. The Demonstration Area mainly plants

rice and adopts the single-season cropping system. Cadmium pollution is the main

type of farmland soil pollution, mainly with low risk or medium risk.

2.2.8 Social-economic analysisof Lengshuitan District

(1) Regional Overview

Population Overview. The total population with household registration in the

public security system in the district was 561,600 at the end of 2019 in 196,000

households. The permanent resident population was 553,700 at the end of the year in

192,200 households, including urban population of 384,600 and rural population of

169,100, the urbanization rate was 69.46%. The per capita disposable income of urban

residents in the district reached 35,705 Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 9.6%.

The per capita consumption expenditure of urban residents reached 23,183 Yuan and

the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 22,519 Yuan.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the total GDP in the district

reached 33.511 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 7.3%. Among them, the

added value in the primary industry was 3.474 billion Yuan, with the year-on-year

growth of 3.5%; added value in the secondary industry was 8.928 billion Yuan, with

the year-on-year growth of 7.1%; added value in the tertiary industry was 21.109

billion Yuan, with the year-on-year growth of 8.0%. The per capita GDP was 61,425

Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 7.5% calculated based on permanent resident

population. The three industries structure turned from 15.4: 38.6: 46.0 in 2015 to 10.4:

26.6: 63.0 in 2019.

Agriculture Overview. In 2019, the gross output of farming, forestry, animal

26

husbandry and fisheries products (current price) in the District reached RMB6.523

billion, a year-on-year increase of 3.6%. Crops had a sowing area of 1.321 million

Chinese mu, a year-on-year decrease of 1.3%. Among them, the sowing area of grain

crops is 804,144 Chinese mu which produces 340,459 tons of grain. The main grain

crop in Lengshuitan District is rice. The planting type is double cropping and single

cropping, the main forms of double cropping are rice-rice and oilseed rape-rice, etc.,

the main form of single cropping is rice-idle. Rice planting varieties include

Xiangzaoxian 45, Xiangwanxian 13, Huanghuazhan, and the like.

According to the data of farmland soil monitoring samples and dense monitoring

samples were collected in Lengshuitan District. Some farmland soil in the district

existed different degrees of heavy metal pollution, and the main pollution risk element

was cadmium, followed by arsenic and mercury.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Lengshuitan District plans to add one demonstration area (Niujiaoba Town

Demonstration Area) and expand one demonstration area (Xianghuaba Village

Demonstration Area). Including:

Niujiaoba Town is located in the North of Lengshuitan District, Yongzhou City,

Hunan Province. Niujiaba Town Demonstration Area covers Xiangshanjie Village,

with an area of 1800 Chinese mu, 1029 households and a population of 4362. The

Demonstration Area mainly plants rice and adopts the double-season cropping system.

Cadmium pollution is the main type of farmland soil pollution and it is mainly low-

risk.

Xianghuaba Village Demonstration Area is located in the east of Lengshuitan

District and the main planting system in the demonstration area is rice-green manure.

The demonstration area has an area of 1960 Chinese mu, 640 households and a

population of 2232. The Demonstration Area mainly plants rice and adopts the

double-season cropping system. The farmland is polluted by irrigation water sources

due to heavy metal pollution caused by “three wastes” of historical enterprises

involving heavy metal pollution. Cadmium pollution is a dominant type in rice

pollution, which is of a high risk.

27

2.2.9 Social-economic analysisof Hengnan County

(1) County overview

Population Overview. The permanent resident population was 915,900 at the

end of 2019, including urban population of 380,100. The urbanization rate was 41.5%.

The birth rate was ‰, death rate was 2.87‰, natural growth rate was 6.44‰ and sex

ratio at birth were 113.06. The annual per capita disposable income of urban residents

is 35,266 Yuan, with the growth of 8.6%. The annual per capita disposable income of

rural residents is 22,457 Yuan, with the growth of 8.9%.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) reached 34.109 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth of 8.0%. Among

them, the added value in the primary industry was 6.421 billion Yuan, with the growth

of 2.6%; added value in the secondary industry was 11.473 billion Yuan, with the

growth of 7.9%; added value in the tertiary industry was 16.215 billion Yuan, with the

growth of 10.4%. The per capita GDP (GDP current price) was 37,241 Yuan with the

growth of 5.6% calculated based on permanent resident population. The ratio of three

industrial structures of are 18.8: 33.6: 47.6. The proportion of the tertiary industry

increased by 0.1 percentage point over the previous year.

Agriculture Overview. By the end of 2019, the actual cultivated area in

Hengnan County had reached 71,140 hectares and the gross output of farming,

forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries products RMB11.374 billion, an increase of

2.8%. Hengnan County ranks first in the province in comprehensive production

capacity of grain, oil, cotton, tobacco and live pigs. The annual grain sown area was

1.3627 million mu with total grain output of 625,400 tons. The planting type is

divided into triple cropping, double cropping and single cropping. Triple cropping

with main forms of rice-rice-fertilizer, rice-rice-oilseed rape and rice-rice-vegetable;

double cropping with main forms of rice-rice, oilseed rape-rice, vegetable-rice,

tobacco-rice, watermelon-rice and corn-rice, etc.; single cropping with main form of

rice-idle. The rice varieties mainly include Xiangzaoxian Rice 45, Xiangwanxian Rice

13, Huanghuazhan and other varieties.

According to the monitoring sampling and encrypted monitoring Sampling data

28

of agricultural land soil of Hengnan County, heavy metal pollution exists in partial

agricultural land soil in the county to different degrees, and the main pollution risk

factor is cadmium and arsenic ranks the second; in addition, some exist in the form of

compound pollution.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Hengnan County plans to expanded on the basis of the two original

demonstration areas (Quanxi Town Demonstration Area and Xiangyang Town

Demonstration Area):

Quanxi Town Demonstration Area is located in the west of Hengnan County. The

demonstration area covers Changcun Village with an area of 1200 Chinese mu and a

population of 3097. The demonstration area adopts rice-idle, rice-rape and rice-

vegetable planting systems. The risk of arsenic pollution in Quanxi Demonstration

Area comes from production management. Besides agricultural management and soil

remediation measures, it is necessary to further clarify the influence of dry and wet

sedimentation, varieties and production management. The enrichment coefficient of

common rice varieties used by farmers is not high, and there is a low risk of arsenic

pollution in rice. Cadmium pollution is the main type of pollution in farmland soil,

and its risk is mainly medium or high. Farmland is polluted by heavy metals caused

by “three wastes” from other enterprises involving in heavy metal pollution. At the

same time, there may be the problem of over application of agricultural fertilizers.

Xiangyang Town Demonstration Area is located in the east of Hengnan County.

The demonstration area covers Huanghe Village and Chaoyang Village with an area of

2100 Chinese mu and a population of 5567. The demonstration area adopts rice-idle,

rice-rape and rice-vegetable planting systems. In the upper reaches of the river, the

main pollution source is heavy metal pollution caused by the “three wastes” from

enterprises involved in heavy metal pollution in past but it has been effectively

controlled. Cadmium pollution is the main type of pollution in farmland soil, and its

risk is mainly medium or high. The enrichment coefficient of common rice varieties

used by farmers is not high, and there is a low risk of cadmium and arsenic pollution

in rice.

29

2.2.10 Social-economic analysisin Hengyang County

(1) County overview

Population Overview. The total population with household registration of the

county was 1.24 million in the end of 2019 with the reduction of 5700 compared with

the last year. There were 12,282 births throughout the year. The birth rate was 9.62‰,

up 0.62‰; the death population is 7374, death rate was 5.78‰, an increase of 2.08‰;

the natural growth rate was 3.85‰, a decrease of 0.48‰. Sex ratio at birth was 109.02

(take women as 100). At the end of year, the permanent population is 1.0374 million,

decreasing by 11,400 people. Of them, the urban population is 0.4579 million and the

rural population is 0.5795 million. The urbanization rate is 44.14%, increasing by

0.94%. The per capita disposable income of urban residents is 35,612 Yuan with the

growth of 8.3%, and that of rural residents is 19,112 Yuan with the growth of 8.9%.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) reached 34.894 billion Yuan with the growth of 7.8%. Among them, the added

value in the primary industry was 6.371 billion Yuan, with the growth of 2.8%; added

value in the secondary industry was 12.519 billion Yuan, with the growth of 7.9%;

added value in the tertiary industry was 16.004 billion Yuan, with the growth of

10.0%. GDP growth driven by three industries on economic growth were 0.5%, 3.2%

and 4.1% respectively. Contribution rates of three industries was 6.1%, 41.1% and

52.8% respectively. The per capita GDP of the 33,452 Yuan calculated based on

permanent resident population. The structure of the three industries was adjusted to

18.3: 35.9: 45.8. The total GDP accounts for 10.3% of the whole city.

Agriculture Overview. The annual grain planting area was 90,910 hectares at

the end of 2019 and the total grain output was 618,000 tons. The planting type is

divided into triple cropping, double cropping and single cropping. Triple cropping

with main forms of rice-rice-fertilizer, rice-rice-oilseed rape and rice-rice-vegetable;

double cropping with main forms of rice-rice, oilseed rape-rice, vegetable-rice,

tobacco-rice, watermelon-rice and corn-rice, etc.; single cropping with main form of

rice-idle. By the end of 2019, the effective irrigation area of farmland had reached

763,000 Chinese mu and the water-saving irrigation area 5,000 Chinese mu. By the

end of the year, the total power of agricultural machinery had reached 827,100

30

kilowatts.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Hengyang County plans to add one demonstration area (Sanhu Town

Demonstration Area), which covers 2 Villages, Fuxing Village and Yanglin Village,

with an area of 4477 Chinese mu, 1145 households and a population of 4021. Sanhu

Town is located in the central part of Hengyang County. According to related soil

monitoring data, most land of the village is moderately polluted, mainly by cadmium.

2.2.11 Analysis of Social-economic Status of Yongding District

(1) County overview

Population Overview. At the end of 2019, there were 193,948 households

registration with total registered population of 481,342 in the district. Among them,

urban population was 199,928 and rural population was 281,414. By the end of the

year, there were 477,800 permanent residents and a total of 179,800 households. In

2019, the per capita disposable income of residents in the District was RMB30,405,

an increase of 9%. Per capita owned home housing area of residents reached 57

square meters. The annual per capita disposable income of rural residents is 11,211

Yuan, with the growth of 11%.

Economic Development Overview. In 2019, the regional gross production value

all year round reached RMB22.957 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.8% which

was respectively higher than the average levels of the State, the Province and the City

by 1.7%, 0.2% and 0.2%. Among them, the added value in the primary industry was

2.194 billion Yuan; added value in the secondary industry was 3.416 billion Yuan;

added value in the tertiary industry was 17.347 billion Yuan, with the growth of 3.2%,

6.7%, 8.5% respectively. Contribution rates of three industries on GDP were 3.46%,

13.27% and 83.27% respectively. GDP growth driven by three industries was 0.3%,

1.0% and 6.5% respectively. The three industries structure turned from 8.8: 15.5: 75.7

last year to 9.5: 14.9: 75.6. The total regional output value per capita was 48,474 Yuan

with the growth of 6.4% calculated based on permanent resident population.

Agriculture Overview. By the end of 2019, the gross output of farming, forestry,

31

animal husbandry and fisheries products and services all year round had reached

RMB3,607.18 million, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%. Grain crops all year round

had reached a sowing area of 415,000 Chinese mu with total grain yield reaching

145,534 tons. Conditions of agricultural production had been steadily improved. A

total of RMB55,950,500 was invested in water projects in the District all year round.

Eight water projects of various types or 109 places had started construction.

1230,000m3 of earthwork had been accomplished. 1,320 hectares of effective

irrigation area and 390 hectares of highly-efficient water-saving irrigation area had

been added.

(2) Demonstration area overview

Yongding District plans to add three demonstration areas (Yuanguping Town

Demonstration Area, Wangjiaping Town Demonstration Area and Xinqiao Town

Demonstration Area) and expand one demonstration area (Yinjiaxi Town

Demonstration Area). Including:

The newly-added, Yuanguping Town Demonstration Area is located in the East

area of Yongding District. The demonstration area covers 4 villages, Hongtuping

Village, Hongxing Village, Changtan Village and Matouxi Village, with an area of

3000 mu, and the population is 5950. Rice and corn are staple crops in the

demonstration area, and adopts the one-season cropping system. Farmlands were

polluted by heavy metals due to Xiangjiaxi coal mining business. The enrichment

coefficient of common rice varieties used by farmers is not high and the risk of rice is

low. There are different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil, and the main

risk factor is cadmium.

The newly-added, Wangjiaping Town Demonstration Area is located in the

Southeast mountainous area of Yongding District. The demonstration area covers 1

village, Shiyanping Village, with an area of 328 mu and a population of 648. The

newly-added, Xinqiao Town is located at the north gate of Yongding District. The

demonstration area covers 1 village, Yuanda Village, with an area of 1100 mu and a

population of 1990. According to related soil monitoring data, most land of this two

villages are slightly polluted, mainly by cadmium and nickel.

Yinjiaxi Town Demonstration Area is located in the northwest of Yongding

District. Demonstration Area covers the Mojiagang Village, with an area of 760 mu,

32

main crops in the village include rice, oilseed rapes, corns and potatoes; the

population of the demonstration area is 1811. Since the farmland is polluted by the

heavy metal caused by “three wastes” of enterprises involving heavy metal pollution,

the rice and sediment test samples exceed the standards, and the pollution sources

have been effectively controlled. The main farmland pollution type is cadmium

pollution, and there is still a small amount of unpolluted farmland.

33

3. Analysis of the main stakeholder groups and requirements of

the project

3.1 The definition of stakeholder groups of the project

According to the World Bank aid targets, all directly or indirectly benefited or

damaged individuals and organizations in the affected area of the project are both

stakeholder groups of the project. According to the feasibility study report, the

farmland pollution in the demonstration area is controlled through agrotechnology

improvement, land restoration, establishing monitoring stations, supporting rural

cooperative organizations and other measures. The main stakeholders involved

include five categories:

(1) Farmer households in the demonstration areas. Farmer households in the

demonstration area are the main groups directly benefited or damaged of the project,

the farmland heavy metal pollution control will have an impact on the land use,

agrotechnology measures and so on.

(2) Farmer cooperatives and related enterprises. Farmer cooperatives in the

demonstration area are also the main groups directly benefited or damaged, the

farmland heavy metal pollution control will have different degrees of impact on the

management and farming modes.

(3) Village committees of the project villages. The village committees of the

project villages are the main groups of the farmland pollution control.

(4) Relevant government departments. The farmland pollution control involves

Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Rural Revitalization Bureau, National

Religious Affairs Administration and other relevant departments.

(5) Disadvantaged group. Mainly refer to ethnic minorities, women and low-

income households.

This part focuses on analyzing the appeals and expectations of the farmer

households, farmer cooperatives, village committees in the demonstration area and

34

relevant government departments for the project. The analysis of disadvantaged

groups will be divided into the ethnic minority analysis, gender analysis and low-

income individuals analysis in the following chapters.

3.2 Analysis of stakeholder groups’ project awareness

3.2.1 Awareness and project awareness situations of stakeholders

First, most farmers have realized the pollution of heavy metal to farmland.

Although farmers’ educational level is not high, through the publicity and explanation

of government staffs and the perception from farmers’ own experience, quite a

number of farmers have realized that farmland has suffered from heavy metal

pollution. The survey data shows that 33.3% of the residents believe that the farmland

heavy metal pollution in the demonstration area is very serious; 41.0% of the residents

believe the pollution is relatively serious; 13.5% believe the pollution is general;

13.1% believe the pollution is not very serious; only 4.1% think there is no pollution;

as shown in Table 3-1. In the interview, some farmers said that government staff and

experts from the county or the township had come to check the degree of soil

pollution, and village committees often held meetings to publicize the relevant

knowledge, so that they could know the situation of farmland pollution. On the other

hand, with their years of farming experience, they can also find that there are fewer

and fewer frogs and other creatures in rice fields, which also makes them realize that

farmland may be polluted.

Table 3-1 Pollution Conditions of Farmland Heavy Metals (such as Cadmium, Nickel,

Arsenic, etc.) in the Demonstration Areas

Frequency Valid percentage Accumulative percentage

Valid

Very serious 316 33.3 33.3Relatively serious 389 41.0 74.3

General 128 13.5 87.8Not very serious 76 8.0 95.8No pollution 40 4.2 100.0

Total 949 100.0Secondly, a fair proportion of residents have been aware of the adverse

effect caused by heavy metal pollution. In terms of the impact and consequences of

pollution, 82.5% of the residents think that farmland pollution has a “great” or 35

“relatively great” impact on local people’s health, 72.9% of the residents think that

farmland pollution has a “great” or “relatively great” impact on the output of local

agricultural output, 80.1% think that farmland pollution has a “great” or “relatively

great” impact on the quality of local agricultural products, and 82.5% think that

farmland pollution has a “great” or “relatively great” impact on the selling price of

local agricultural products (see Table 3-2). This shows that a considerable number of

farmers have clearly recognized the adverse effects and harms of farmland pollution

on local grain output, agricultural product safety, product price and residents’ health.

Table 3-2 Impact of heavy metal pollution in farmlands on local production

Great Relatively great General Relatively

smallNo

impact Total

Impact of farmland pollution on the health of local residents

50.1% 32.4% 11.6% 4.3% 1.6% 100.0%

Impact of farmland pollution on the yield of local agricultural products

43.6% 29.3% 18.6% 5.8% 2.7% 100.0%

Impact of farmland pollution on the quality of local agricultural products

49.5% 30.6% 14.9% 2.9% 2.1% 100.0%

Impact of farmland pollution on the selling price of local agricultural products

50.3% 32.2% 12.4% 3.8% 1.3% 100.0%

Third, the residents have a certain understanding of the “Hunan

Agricultural Land Pollution Control Project” and they are also very supportive

of the project. The survey data shows that the residents have a certain understanding

of this project, 14.1% of farmers “know a lot”, 38.2% of farmers know more, 20.4%

of farmers know a little, 13.7% of farmers do not know very well, and only 13.6%

know nothing (see Table 3-3).

Table 3-3 Farmers’ understanding of “Integrated Management of Agricultural Land

Pollution Project”

Frequency Valid percentage Accumulative percentage

Valid

Know nothing 129 13.6 13.6Not know very well 130 13.7 27.3Know a little 193 20.4 47.7Know more 363 38.2 85.9Know a lot 134 14.1 100.0

Total 949 100.0

In addition, the farmers are supportive of this project. Among them, 69.8% of the

farmers are “very supportive” and 22.3% are “relatively supportive”, only 1.5% are

“not very supportive” or “strongly opposed” (see Table 3-4). This result further shows

36

that most farmers are aware of this kind of farmland pollution and the harm, so they

are supportive of the project and are quite willing to participate in soil remediation.

37

Table 3-4 Attitudes of farmers to “Safety and Quality Improvement Project for Producing

Area of Agricultural Products”

Frequency Valid percentage Accumulative percentage

Valid

Very supportive 662 69.8 69.8Relatively supportive 211 22.3 92.1General 61 6.4 98.5Not too supportive 9 0.9 99.4Strongly opposed 6 0.6 100.0

Total 949 100.0

3.2.2 Analysis of stakeholders’ participation willingness

“Safety and Quality Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural

Products” which is implemented by the World Bank loan involves the farming

technology, farmland use and the construction of public facilities. According to the

local survey, the willingness of the residents participating in the survey is very high,

mainly showing in:

First, about ninety percent residents in demonstration areas are willing to change

crop varieties and improve cultivation mode according to the project. Residents in

demonstration areas mainly plant rice. In order to effectively control farmland

pollution, however, 88.4% residents are willing to (including very willing and

relatively willing) change farmland planting pattern according to governance demand

of the project. 88% residents are willing to adjust planted rice varieties according to

governance demand of the project. 90.1% residents are willing to spray lime and

adopt leaf inhibitor and control agent (Si) according to governance demand of the

project. 90.7% residents are willing to irrigate with clean water in farmland according

to governance demand of the project. 90.8% residents are willing to apply organic

fertilizer or plant green manure and not to apply chemical fertilizer any more

according to governance demand of the project. Please refer to Table 3-5 for details.

Second, after appropriate subsidies provided by government, about ninety percent

residents in demonstration areas are willing to conduct land transfer. According to

survey, 90.9% residents are willing to conduct land transfer and contiguous

development in a systematic way. In the process of land transfer, residents are willing

to adopt Shares + Cooperation or renting. Third, more than ninety percent residents

support the construction of public facilities in Demonstration Areas. According to

38

survey, 91.1% residents are willing to make appropriate transformation and upgrading

to the irrigation infrastructure of local farmland; 92.3% residents are willing to build

the heavy metal pollution straw treatment new facilities in heavy metal contaminated

area of farmland. Fourth, more than ninety residents are willing to participate in

project construction and relevant technical training in demonstration areas. According

to survey, 92.5% residents are willing to participate in project construction and 92.1%

in agro-technical training in Demonstration Areas. Fifthly, eighty residents are willing

to replant other crops. According to the survey, 86.8% residents are willing to replant

other crops according to demand of the project.

From the survey data, we can draw the following conclusions: (1) The local

farmers give a higher reproject awareness degree to the ways of improving the

agricultural product quality; (2) the local farmers are more willing to the large-scale

construction through the land transfer; (3) local farmers have the higher willingness of

participating in relevant technical training.

Table 3-5 Participation Willingness of Residents (%)

Very willing

Relatively willing General

A little unwillin

g

Very unwillin

gTotal

As required by the project, adjust farmland planting pattern 70.1 18.3 7.4 2.2 2.0 100.00

As required by the project, adjust planted rice varieties 69.5 18.5 10.8 0.6 0.6 100.00

As required by the project, spray lime and adopt leaf inhibitor and control agent (Si) in farmland

71.3 18.8 8.6 0.8 0.5 100.00

As required by the project, irrigate with clean water in farmland 72.4 18.3 7.4 1.1 0.8 100.00

As required by the project, apply organic fertilizer or plant green manure and notapply chemical fertilizer any more

71.2 19.6 7.5 1.0 0.7 100.00

As required by the project, make appropriate transformation and upgrading to the irrigation infrastructure of local farmland

73.1 18.0 6.7 1.3 0.9 100.00

As required by the project, build the straw treatment facilities in heavy metal pollution area of farmland

72.7 19.6 5.8 1.4 0.5 100.00

As required by the project, build new or reconstruct tractor roads and other measures

75.6 15.7 6.5 1.3 0.9 100.00

As required by the project, conduct land transfer and contiguous development in a systematic way

72.3 18.6 6.3 1.8 1.0 100.00

As required by the project, replant other crops 69.3 17.5 9.8 2.0 1.4 100.00

As required by the project, hire some farmers to participate in the construction of local project

75.6 16.9 6.5 0.6 0.4 100.00

39

As required by the project, offer the technical training for the farmers participating

74.8 17.3 6.1 1.1 0.7 100.00

3.3 Needs analysis of the stakeholders

The needs of main stakeholder groups in the demonstration area include:

I. Control the farmland heavy metal pollution and improve the living

standards of residents. Through the visit and survey of the project villages, we know

that the farmland heavy metal pollution has caused different degrees of influence on

the farmers’ income, the quality and quantity of agricultural products as well as the

farmer’s health. The farmland heavy metal pollution has become a key factor that

restricts the income of farmers and the upgrading of agricultural industry. Therefore,

the major stakeholder groups of the project village require urgently controlling the

farmland heavy metal pollution, to improve the levels of the residents’ life and

income.

II. Improve agricultural infrastructure and develop the production. Through

the visit and survey of the project villages, the social assessment team knows that

there exist generally the problems of irrigation canals which have been in disrepair for

long years, and a lack of pollution monitoring facilities of farmland and agricultural

products in the project villages. The lack of additional measures needed by

agricultural development lead to the low level of industrial development. Therefore,

the main stakeholder groups in the project village think it is urgently required to

improve the agricultural infrastructure and develop agricultural production.

III. Establish the farmers’ cooperatives and improve the ability of resisting

the market risk and self-development. Through the visit and survey of the project

villages, the social assessment team knows there exist generally the conditions that the

cooperatives’ development degree is low and the operation is poor, and some of the

project villages have not yet established the cooperatives by far. When the farmer

households develop related industries, they lack funds, technology and the guide of

related organizations, the industrial development is dispersed and lack the scale, the

yield of products is low, the market information is short, and the competitiveness of

products is low in the demonstration area. The farmer households believe generally

40

that the cooperatives play a special role in their industrial development, and they

hope, through the development of cooperatives, to improve the degree of organization

and develop regional advantages, leading them to promote their development and

prosperity.

IV. Create the opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship in the

places of local and close to farmers’ homes, to promote the return of migrant

workers. Through the visit and survey of the project villages, the social assessment

team knows that there all exist a lot of migrant workers in the project villages. The

main reasons why the farmers go out for offfarming work are that the traditional

agricultural livelihood is difficult to support their families, which causes elderly and

children left behind in the villages. Therefore, the left-behind elderly and children in

the villages as well as migrant workers hope urgently that this project can promote the

scales of the local agricultural development, to create opportunities of employment

and entrepreneurship in the places of local and close to the farmers’ homes for

migrant workers.

Different stakeholders have different requirements for the project, analyzing

specifically various types of main stakeholders’ requirements is conducive to

identifying the major social issues of the project, to avoid the potential social risks of

the project and promote the smooth implementation of the project. The social

assessment team implements the project information publicity, propaganda, public

participation and other activities for the stakeholder groups in the area affected by the

project, and analyzes the requirements of the main stakeholders, mainly includes five

aspects as follows:

(1) Farmer households in the demonstration areas

The farmer households in the demonstration area are the groups affected directly

by the project and also the main groups benefiting from the project. The attitudes and

behaviors of the farmer households in the demonstration area have a direct effect on

the progress of the project, so the satisfaction condition of the needs of the farmer

households in the demonstration area is one of the criteria to achieve evaluating the

project objectives.

The farmer households in the demonstration area are eager to develop the local

agricultural production, control the farmland heavy metal pollution and make the

41

standards of their production and life improved generally. Because the agricultural

development in the project villages is restricted by information, technology and fund,

they hope, through establishing the cooperatives, to make the agricultural

development develop in the direction of the ecological agriculture. Through the visit

and survey of the farmers in the project villages, we know that the requirements of the

farmers in the demonstration area include: (1) Improve the agricultural production

infrastructure, such as repairing or constructing new irrigation channels, tractor roads

and other facilities; (2) Improve the local ecological environment, improve the quality

of agricultural products and develop the ecological agriculture; (3) Participate in

farmer cooperatives and reduce the risk and cost of production; (4) Adjust the

industrial structures, increase appropriately the proportion of economic crops and

improve the income level; (5) Reduce the cost increase risk that the farmland heavy

metal control process brings to the farmers.

(2) Farmer cooperatives in the demonstration area

As the important implementing subject of agronomic measures in demonstration

areas, the farmers’ specialized cooperatives hope to reduce the risk of heavy metal

exceeding criterion in the products, enhance the value of agricultural products and

promote industrial upgrading through the farmland heavy metal pollution control.

Through the visit and survey of the farmers in the project villages, we know that the

requirements of farmers’ specialized cooperatives in the demonstration area include:

(1) Obtain financial support, reduce financing costs and ease the capital pressure of

developing the ecological agriculture. (2) Improve organization management level of

cooperatives and facilitate local agriculture to adopt scaled development path; (3)

Establish soil and agricultural product heavy metal monitoring stations, improve

quality management level of agricultural products and promote the local agriculture to

adopt the development path of ecological agriculture; (4) Lower risks of sales of

agricultural products and increase of costs. (5) Expand the planting scale and create

brand products; (6) Establish soil monitoring stations and improve the management

level of product quality; (7) Reduce the label effects that the heavy metal pollution

control may bring the agricultural products.

(3) Project village committee

The project village committee is the grassroots and direct management,

coordination and executive institution of the project; the organization and

42

management ability of project village committee directly affect the project execution.

The project village committee hopes to execute governance to the heavy metal

pollution of farmland, improve the ecological environment and thus upgrade the

residents’ production and living level. According to the interview with and

investigation of project village residents, we can draw the following conclusion: the

farmers’ specialized cooperatives of rice in the demonstration area has specific needs:

(1) Establish and improve the farmers’ specialized cooperatives and promote

upgrading of local industries; (2) Enhance the environmental consciousness of local

farmers and training of planting technologies and thus upgrade the environmental

protection consciousness and technical level; (3) Formulate reasonable compensation

mechanism and thus entertain the residents’ negative mood.

(4) Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau

Due to numerous project types and large quantity, the project is involved in

numerous institutions and staffs; the project suffers from arduous organization,

management and coordination tasks. In order to execute the project smoothly, the

project county(township) has established a project leadership team; the Agriculture

and Rural Affairs Bureau at county level has established a project execution,

organization and management institution composed of numerous departments—it is

responsible for executing the project. Besides, it has formulated specific management

systems and measures, fulfilled the preliminary preparation in high quality and laid a

solid organization and system assurance for formal execution of the project.

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau at county level serves as the main

responsible body for the normal operation of whole project stage; it not only fulfills

the contract rights and obligations in the identity of owner, but also coordinates and

settles the technical, economic, financial and environmental matters related to the

project. In the project execution and subsequent supervision and management, the

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau at county level is the closest stakeholder.

Therefore, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau at county level hopes: (1)

Cooperate with the stakeholders and fulfill the project in a smooth and successful

manner; (2) Assist the farmer households in the demonstration area to control the

heavy metal pollution in the farmland, develop the agricultural production and thus

upgrade the quality of agricultural products; (3) Execute the project of World Bank

and explore into the governance technologies and management model of local

43

farmland pollution.

(5) Other governmental departments

Other governmental departments include the environmental protection bureau,

animal husbandry bureau, rural revitalization bureau, women’s association, civil

affairs bureau, national religious affairs administration, human resources and social

security bureau, national land bureau and demolition office as well as town

departments and offices of the demonstration area. On the one hand, it plays an

instructive, supportive and service role to the development of rural cooperative and

industry in the demonstration area; on the other hand, the development quality of rural

cooperative and industry in the demonstration area directly affects the political

performance of governmental and other related departments and increase in the

farmers’ income and adjustment to agricultural structure. Therefore, the government

and related departments hope: (1) Improve soil quality and local ecological

environment and improve administration and monitoring level of local environment;

(2) Promote the economic development of project counties and Demonstration Areas;

drive the ecological development path of agriculture and promote rural revitalization;

(3) Drive the economic and social development, realize the political stability and

improve the government image; (4) Improve production and living conditions of low-

income population, enhance the living standards of low income people, safeguard the

social stability and promote the harmonious development.

44

4. Poverty analysis

4.1 Poverty analysis of project demonstration areas

4.1.1 General status of low-income people in demonstration areas

After targeted poverty alleviation and the fight against poverty, 51 poverty-stricken counties in Hunan Province have all been lifted out of poverty in March 2020, and absolute poverty has been eliminated completely. However, this does not mean that this poverty problem does not exist, and poverty will still appear in many forms, such as relative poverty and low-income individuals. The poor population is equivalent to the low-income individuals, mainly referring to the low-income population that poor households have just lifted out of poverty in 2020. From the perspective of this project, in the newly added or expanded demonstration area, a total of 2,650 low-income households are involved, among which 11,391 people with low-income are involved and 7,336 people with disabilities are involved.

According to the survey data, it can be seen that: first, the demonstration area involves a large number of low-income individuals; Second, farmland pollution has affected the low-income individuals to get rid of poverty and become rich to a certain extent.Table 4-1 Overall situation of low-income individuals who have just lifted out of poverty in 11 counties and cities

Former National poverty-stricken

counties

Former Provincial

poverty-striken county

Total Project

Population

Low Income Households in

Demonstration Area (unit: household)

Low income people in Demonstration Area

(unit: person)

The Disabled Population

(unit: person)

Hengyang County

4,021 89 402 259

Anhua County √ √ 19,159 678 1,916 1,234Cili County √ 19,580 427 1,958 1,261

Hengnan County

5,567 110 557 359

Huayuan County

√ √ 1,018 80 102 66

Jishou City √ 10,401 179 1,040 670Lengshuitan

District8,664 68 866 558

Linwu County 10,159 125 1,015 654Qiyang County 5,010 43 501 323

Yongshun County

√ √ 19,939 589 1,994 1,284

Yongding District

10,399 262 1,040 670

Total 3 5 113,917 2,650 11,391 7,336

45

4.1.2 Living model of low-income individuals

In the demonstration area, low income people are featured by self-sufficient

agricultural economy, which is mainly demonstrated in the following aspects:

I. The sources of income is limited, mainly the traditional agriculture. With

the continuous advancement of industrialization and urbanization and the continuous

improvement of social security system, farmers’ income channels are becoming more

and more diversified, including both agricultural income and non-agricultural income,

wage income and property income, and personal income and transfer income from the

government. However, for the low-income individuals, their income sources and

livelihood means are still very single and limited. According to the questionnaire

result, 60.0% of low-income individuals mainly depend on the planting and animal

husbandry industries; Income from farmlands of low-income individuals accounts for

63.5% of household income on average. This shows that the low-income individuals

still take grain cultivation and other farmland cultivation as their main source of

income, and their dependence on traditional agricultural income is very high.

II. Single business model, it focuses on the traditional agriculture and

agricultural business model. Through discussion and interview, it can be found that:

on the one hand, the low-income individuals still mainly grow traditional agricultural

products such as grain, and few cash crops are planted. According to survey data:

81.7% low income people plant rice in farmlands; 9.6% low income people plant corn

in farmlands and only 7.2% low income people plant tea and other economic crops in

farmlands. Please refer to Table 4-2. On the other hand, low-income population

generally have low educational level and are relatively old (men over 50 years old and

women over 45 years old). It is difficult for them to learn new things such as

agricultural science and technology and information technology, and they lack the

necessary skills to improve their lives. Therefore, they still use traditional production

methods mainly and use few modern mechanical technologies in farmland

management, and the participation rate of cooperatives is not high.

46

Table 4-2 Crops planted by low income people

Crops planted Times (unit: household) Percentage (unit: %)Rice 1,314 81.7%Corn 154 9.6%

Oilseed rape 24 1.5%Tea and other economic crops 116 7.2%

Total 1,608 100.00

4.1.3 Analysis of causes for poverty

Through discussions and interviews with the low-income individuals, it is known

that the causes of poverty among the low-income individuals in the demonstration

area include low quality of agricultural products, low degree of agricultural

industrialization, lack of technology, lack of funds, illness, disability, lack of labor

force, etc.

I. The agricultural products suffer from poor quality. The low quality of

agricultural products leads to unstable prices of agricultural products, and planting is

rarely profitable. There are two main reasons: first, the low-income individuals lack

agricultural technology, which makes it difficult for them to keep up with the pace of

modern agriculture, resulting in lower quality of agricultural products. Survey data

show that 26.4% of the low-income individuals are poor due to lack of technology, as

shown in Table 4-3; The second is land pollution. Questionnaire data show that

farmland pollution not only affects the quantity and quality of agricultural products,

but also affects the sales prices.

II. The agricultural industrialization is not very high. The low-income individuals

are restricted to the information, technology and fund and most of them focus on the

traditional agricultural planting and business mode; they fail to participate in the rural

cooperative or plant economic products. According to survey: 20.2% low income

people fall into poverty due to lack of capital, and 8.6% low income people fall into

poverty due to lack of labor. Shortage of capital and labor has also affected

participation of low-income individuals in rural cooperatives. Due to non-

participation in rural cooperatives, cost of planting per hectare of low-income

individuals is generally 30% higher than that of rural cooperatives.

III. The poor households suffer from high medical expenditure. The survey

47

shows that farmland pollution has also brought adverse effects on the health of low-

income people, which increases the probability of illness and medical expenses of

low-income individuals, thereby causing them to fall into poverty or return to poverty.

According to survey data: 28.5% low income people fall into poverty due to diseases

and 7.2% low income people fall into poverty due to disability. Long-term

consumption of food with out-of-limit heavy metal content has inevitably increased

the risks of poverty and return to poverty due to disease of low-income individuals.

Table 4-3 Analysis of causes for poverty of low-income individuals

Poverty Causes Times (unit: household) Valid Percentage (Unit: %)

Lacking of technology 425 26.4%Lacking of labor 138 8.6%Lacking of capital 325 20.2%Poverty caused by diseases 458 28.5%Poverty caused by disability

116 7.2%

Poverty caused by education

146 9.1%

Total 1,608 100%

4.2 Analysis of project awareness and needs of low-income people

4.2.1 Analysis of project awareness

Most low-income people don't know much about this Integrated Management of

Agricultural Land Pollution Project, but they are supportive of the project.

First, some low-income individuals do not have a clear understanding of the

“Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project”. According to

the survey data, 14.9% of the low-income individuals don't know anything about the

project at all, 11.9% don't know much about it, 37.1% know a little about it, 23.6%

know something about it, and 12.5% know very well about it. The survey data show

that the low-income individuals already have a certain understanding of the project,

but some low-income individuals still do not have a clear understanding of the

project, indicating that the publicity work to the low-income population needs to be

further deepened.

48

Table 4-4 The understanding of low-income individuals to “Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project”

Frequency Valid percentage Cumulative percentageValid Know nothing 55 14.9 14.9

Not know very well

44 11.9 26.8

Know a little 138 37.1 63.9Know more 88 23.6 87.5Know a lot 47 12.5 100.0

Total 372 100.0

Second, low income people generally support the project. According to the

investigation, 95.2% low income people maintain that “Integrated Management of

Agricultural Land Pollution Project” is beneficial to the local social and economic

development. Therefore, the low-income individuals support the project unanimously.

The survey shows that 76.4% of the low-income individuals are very supportive,

12.6% are relatively supportive, and 11.0% hold a general attitude, there are no low-

income individuals who "not too support" or "strongly opposed" the project, as shown

in table 4-5.

Table 4-5 Attitudes of low-income individuals to the local “Safety and Quality Improvement

Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products”

Frequency Valid percentage Cumulative percentageValid

Very supportive 284 76.4 76.4Relatively supportive

47 12.6 89.0

General 41 11.0 100.0Not too supportive 0 0 100.0Strongly opposed 0 0 100.0

Total

372 100.0

4.2.2 Analysis of needs

The low-income individuals in the demonstration area is the focus group of the

World Bank project. Low income residents in the demonstration area have the

following needs:

1. Enhancing the quality of agricultural products. According to the visit and

investigation of project village, the social assessment team has come to know about

that low-income individuals in the demonstration area hope to execute governance to

serious farmland pollution by heavy metal, to improve the quality of local agricultural

49

products and to reduce the health risks.

2. Strengthening the training of planting technologies. The low-income

individuals in the demonstration area generally has the problem of insufficient

agricultural technology. According to the visit and investigation of project village, the

social assessment team has come to know about that low-income individuals hope to

enhance the production skills, optimize farming technologies and adjust the industrial

structure.

Third, increasing the employment opportunities. The low-income individuals

in the demonstration area can not work in non-local areas due to patients at home or

their own disease. According to the visit and investigation of project village, the social

assessment team has come to know about that low-income individuals hope to have

more employment opportunities through project execution and increase the income.

4. Enhancing the development capabilities. According to the visit and

investigation of project village, the social assessment team has come to know about

that low-income individuals hope to have more employment opportunities through

project execution and improve the lever of their family income. According to the visit

and investigation of project village, the social assessment team has come to know

about that low-income individuals hope to (1) participate in the rural cooperative and

enhance the risk resistance capability; (2) obtain the support of preferential loans; (3)

participate in the decision making of project.

5. Providing cost compensation. The agricultural industry of demonstration

area is the main income source of low-income individuals. The low-income

individuals worry that project may increase the planting cost and reduce income for a

short period of time. Therefore, according to the visit and investigation of project

village, the social assessment team has come to know about that low-income

individuals hope to formulate reasonable cost compensation plan and thus avoid

reduction of income.

50

5. Analysis of Social Gender

5.1 Analysis of women’s development status in demonstration area

First, the education level is mainly junior high school. According to survey

data: 37.4% of them have primary school and below primary school diploma; 50.1%

of them have junior high school diploma; 12.5% of them have senior high

school/technical secondary school/vocational school and higher diploma.

2. Most of permanent female resident are engaged in labor with income. The

investigation data reveals: 71.5% of them are engaged in labor with income; 29.5%

are engaged in labor without income. In the labor with income, 84.2% are engaged in

agriculture, 7.7% are working to earn living, 5.1% are engaged in industrial and

business industry and 3.0% of them are engaged in other fields.

Third, farming women are mainly middle and old aged women. According to

survey data: average age of farming women in demonstration areas is 48 years old,

and the maximum age is 87 years old while the minimum age is 17 years old. Women

engaging in farmland cultivation under 30 years old account for 8.3%, women at 31-

40 years old account for 16.5%; women at 41-50 years old account for 36.2%; women

at 51-60 years old account for 29.8%; women above 60 years old account for 9.2%.

According to survey data: in Demonstration Areas, women in farmland cultivation are

mainly middle and old aged women.

Fourth, the women left behind accounts for a larger proportion. The number

of left behind women in the newly-added demonstration area is 9341 people,

accounting for 8.2% of the total population of demonstration areas.

5.2 Analysis of participation methods of agricultural activities in

women

According to the interview and symposium with local women, the women

mainly participate in the agricultural activities in two methods:

First, for the participation of ordinary individual households, women are the

51

main force in rural farming. The rural labor engaged in agriculture is mainly

women and middle age and old aged people. In the project village, the labor is mainly

distributed in two models: 1. Cultivation modes replying on left-behind women. In the

case, the left-behind female has to do farming work since their household labor

migrates out to make living. Please refer to Table 5-1 in detail. 2. Joint management

model by men and women: The men and women in the household participate in the

farming and management together. Please refer to Table 5-2 in detail. According to the

feedback of investigation, the labor is mainly in the form of women and old men in

the contemporary rural farming. It is compatible with the existing population feature:

“993861 troops” (99-old men; 38-women; 61-children).

Table 5-1 Agricultural Schedule and Work Distribution in Demonstration Areas

Month Agricultural activities and work distribution Month Agricultural activities and work

distribution

January Farming at home (women) February1、Plant vegetables (women)

2、Plant beans (women)

March1、Plant seedling (women)

2、Manage farmland (women) April1、 Harvest rape (women)

2、 Prepare for farming (women)

May

1、 Insert seedling (women)

2、 Spray chemical fertilizer (women)

June1、 Spray pesticide (women)

2、 Manage farmland (women)

July1、Spray pesticide (women)

2、Remove grass (women) August Harvest sesame (women)

September Harvest paddy (women) October1、Plant rape (women)

2、Manage farmland (women)

November1、Remove grass (women)

2、Spray pesticide (women) December Manage farmland (women)

Remark: The month is defined according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

Table 5-2 Agricultural Schedule and Work Distribution in Demonstration Areas

Month Agricultural activities and work distribution Month Agricultural activities and work

distributionJanuary Manage farmland (men + women) February Plant rape (men+women)

March

1、Plant early season rice (men+ women)

2、Spray fertilizer (men+ women)April Seedling transplanting (men+

women)

May 1、Harvest (men + women)

2、Spray pesticide (men + women)

June 1、Seedling transplanting (men+ women)

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3、Manage farmland (men + women)

2、Spray pesticide (men + women)

3、Manage farmland (men + women)

July

1、Harvest early season rice (men + women)

2、Insert late rice (men+ women)

3、Manage farmland (men+ women)

August

1、Harvest (men + women)

2、Spray pesticide (men + women)

3、Manage farmland (men + women)

September1、Plant rape (men+women)

2、Spray pesticide (men + women) October Harvest late rice (men + women)

November Harvest late rice (men + women) December Plant rape (men+women)

Remark: The month is defined according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

Second, working in cooperatives, the women constitute the main part of

rural cooperative. According to survey data: among the full-time agricultural

women, 137 women are employees in rural cooperatives for farmland cultivation, they

account for 26.8% of the full-time agricultural women. There is a total of 47 rural

cooperatives in demonstration areas and women take up about 48% of total employees

in the rural cooperatives. From the perspective of participation in management, there

are a total of 189 management personnel of rural cooperatives in demonstration areas,

including 47 women, accounting for 25.0%. There is no woman in the management of

8 rural cooperatives. According to interview data, wage is RMB 50-100 per day.

According to survey data, the overall proportion of women employed by rural

cooperatives is low, and the proportion of women participating in the management

decision-making and management of rural cooperatives is low.

5.3 Analysis of project project awareness and need of women group

5.3.1 Analysis of project awareness

Firstly, some women do not have a high understanding to the project.

According to the survey: 18.5% do not know much about the project; 16.6% even do

not know the project. Only 13.8% of the women know about the project well. Of

course, 30.2% of women “know a little” about the project; 20.9% of women know

more about the project. The survey data show that most women already have a certain

53

understanding of the project, but there are still a small number of women whose

understanding of the project is not very clear, indicating that the publicity work to

women needs to be further deepened.

2. Most of women support the project. The investigation reveals: 96.4% of

total women believe the project is beneficial to the local social and economic

development. Therefore, the women support the project. The investigation reveals:

78.3% of total women support the project very much; 17.0% of total women support

the project well; 3.8% of total women have an ordinary attitude to the project; only

0.9% of total women do not support it.

5.3.2 Analysis of needs

1. Creating employment opportunities. On one hand, the project is expected to

increase the land use rate; on the other hand, it is expected to promote the

development of agricultural product processing enterprises and create more

employment opportunities for local farming households. According to the visit and

investigation of project village, the Social Assessment Team has come to know that

local women, especially left-behind women, hope to have more employment

opportunities and boost the economic income.

2. Providing labor protection. According to the visit and investigation of

project village, the social assessment team has come to know that local women of

project area hope to prevent sunstroke, grass removing and mosquito-proof measures

and have anti-septic mask to prevent lime from inhaling into the lungs.

3. Improving production skills. According to the visit and investigation of

project village, the social assessment team has come to know that above 90% of the

women deem it necessary to receive professional technical training; the rural women

are rather interested in the planting technologies, but also hope to receive production

skill training such as agricultural machinery; the women like to receive technical

training in the form of classes and on-site demonstration.

IV. Improving participatory capacity. According to the visit and investigation

of project village, women constitute the main part of rural cooperatives, but their

participation in management decision-making of farmlands is low. Women in

54

demonstration areas hope to improve their participation ability, to promote farmland

cultivation decisions to be beneficial to women protection.

5.4 Social gender action plan in various construction phases

5.4.1 Promotion of women’s participation in the project

According to the on-site investigation and observation, the women in the

demonstration area constitute the main force of household labor and agricultural

production and have rather little participation in the village matters - it does not have

much difference between different ethnic groups. In order to promote the development

of women and safeguard fair benefits in the project, efforts are made to enhance the

women’s participation in various project stages. Suggestions: In the governance of

farmland pollution, establishment of farmers cooperative and selection of industrial

development, special attention is paid to the demand and idea of women in the

demonstration area; at least one woman is designated in the leadership team of

farmland pollution governance. At least 30% of total women participate in the

meeting of farmland pollution governance convened by the local residents. At least

30% of total women participate in the training programs organized in the project

construction.

5.4.2 Improving women’s awareness of farmer’s cooperative and the

project

The survey result reveals that the men and women have rather poor knowledge of

the farmland pollution project; in the farmland pollution governance and industrial

development, the women fail to participate as actively as men. In order to enable

women to participate in the industrial development of farmers cooperative, we put

forward the following suggestions: 1. In the course of project construction, maintain

the information disclosure and organize propaganda and training; enable at least 30%

of women to participate in the training with considering the convenience of women in

the selection of training time and venue and use local language as much as possible. 2.

55

Give full play to the strengths of women’s federation in the information propaganda

and training; cooperate and coordinate with the women’s federation and launch the

information propaganda and training.

6. Analysis of Ethnic Minority

6.1 Overview

6.1.1 Status of ethnic minority population in Xiangxi Autonomous

Prefecture

According to the data of China’s Ethnic Yearbook, at the end of 2018, the total

population of Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi was 2,972,300, of

which 2,386,800 were ethnic minorities, accounting for 80.30% of the total

population. Among the ethnic minorities, there are 1,307,100 Tujia Ethnicity,

1,058,300 Miao Ethnicity, 9,700 Hui Ethnicity, 2,600 Yao Ethnicity and 9,100 other

ethnic minorities, including 41 ethnic groups such as Tujia, Miao, Han, Hui and Yao.

All ethnic groups are living together in a large area and among the large area, the

same ethnic group is normally concentrated in a small area. Tujia Ethnicity is mainly

concentrated in Yongshun County, Longshan County, Baojing County, Guzhang

County and Jishou City, while Miao Ethnicity is mainly concentrated in Huayuan

County, Fenghuang County, Jishou City, Luxi County, Baojing County and Guzhang

County.

Ethnic minority population Jishou City in demonstration areas is 225,200,

accounting for 77.3% of the total population, including 121,000 Miao people and

101,200 Tujia people.

Yongshun County in demonstration areas, has a total population of 536,100 by

the end of 2019. In the total population, there are 499,700 minority people, including

436,600 Tujia people and 60,400 Miao people.

Huayuan County in demonstration areas has a total population of 315,000

people, including the Miao population accounts for 77.3%, and is a Miao ethnic

gathering county.

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6.1.2 Status of ethnic minority population in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie City is an area inhabited by ethnic minorities. According to the

statistical yearbook of Zhangjiajie in 2019, among the 1,702,199 registered population

in the city, there are 416,930 Han people, accounting for 24.5062% of the total

population, and there are 1,284,392 ethnic minority people, accounting for 75.4938%

of the total population. There are 43 ethnic minorities in the city. Among the ethnic

minority people, the population of below ethnic minorities ranks relatively high: there

are 1,127,746 Tujia people, accounting for 87.804% of the ethnic minority population;

119,385 Bai people, accounting for 9.295%; 30,881 Miao people, accounting for

2.401%; 1,557 Hui people, accounting for 0.121%; 37,261 other ethnic minorities,

accounting for 2.901%.

Cili County in demonstration areas is the multiple-nationality county, since

ancient times, there have been 17 nationalities, including Han Nationality, Tujia

Nationality, Bai Nationality, Hui Nationality and Miao Nationality, live here. By the

end of 2018, total registered population was 699,600 in Cili County. Among them,

ethnic minority population is 413,000. Tujia nationality is the main ethnic minority

population, accounting for 60%.

Yongding District in demonstration areas has a total permanent population of

446,000, 16 ethnic minority groups, including Tujia, Bai and Miao, etc., have a total

population of 363,000 which accounts for 81.4% of the total population; the ethnic

minorities mainly include Tujia with a population of 359,000, accounting for 80.5%

of total population.

6.2 Customs and culture of ethnic minority dominated in the

demonstration area

Different ethnic minorities in the demonstration area apply the same language

and characters and marry each other; they live harmoniously and no conflicts are

witnessed. The cultures between various ethnic groups integrate with each other and

no estrangement is discovered.

In demonstration areas, five demonstration counties where ethnic minorities live,

include Jishou City, Huayuan County, Yongding District, Yongshun County and Cili

57

County. There are 31 demonstration areas in these project villages. Total population of

project villages is 49,441. including a total ethnic minority population of 38,423,

accounting for 77.7%. Among ethnic minorities, total population of Tujia nationality

is 28,277, accounting for 73.6%; total population of Miao nationality is 10,146,

accounting for 26.4%. Distribution of minorities in each project village is as shown in

Table 6-1. Ethnic minorities in project villages are mainly Tujia and Miao.

Table 6-1 Distribution of ethnic minority population in project villages

Demonstration Areas

Project villages

Population

Households

Han Miao Tujia

QtyProportio

n%

Qty Proportion% Qty

Proportion%

Cili County

Xinhua Village 1,346 412 543 40.3 1 0.01 802 59.6

Baiyang Village 1,324 437 752 56.8 0 0 572 43.2

Fuxin Village 854 306 584 68.4 0 0 270 31.6

Liudong Village 3,359 1,117 1,757 52.3 4 0 1,590 47.3

Sihuping 1,186 382 14 1.2 0 0 1,172 98.8Xinpu Village 1,278 418 703 55.0 0 0 575 45.0

Xurita 1,666 548 910 54.6 0 0 756 45.4Yanzi 1,410 483 332 23.5 4 0.3 1,035 73.4

Yangliupu 2,338 726 1,081 46.2 5 0.2 1,252 53.6Zhuangta 1,687 590 203 12.0 0 0 1,484 88.0

Huayuan County

Gaohe Village 1,018 217 625 61.4 290 28.5 103 10.1

Jishou City

Hangtuo Village 832 200 0 0 790 95.0 42 5.0

Hongping Village 997 237 0 0 897 90.0 100 10.0

Jilue Village 1,488 364 0 0 1,339 90.0 89 10.0

Jiating Village 381 85 0 0 323 84.8 62 15.2

Liantuan Village 313 72 0 0 300 95.8 13 4.2

Pinglang Village 1,382 386 107 7.7 890 64.4 385 27.9

Shu’er Village 574 150 30 5.2 370 64.5 174 30.3

Qianghu Village 2,360 560 118 5.0 1,652 70.0 590 25.0

Sanchaping 2,068 537 103 5.0 1,345 65.0 620 30.0

Yongshun County

Liulangxi 2,185 505 89 4.1 95 4.3 2,000 91.6Taozixi 2,469 623 550 22.3 1,100 44.6 749 34.1Xishaba 3,523 901 1,600 45.4 700 19.9 1,215 34.5Hexin

Village 1,946 418 26 1.3 11 0.6 1,909 98.1

Wachang Village 1,670 460 45 2.7 16 1.0 1,584 94.9

Xiqi Village 2,026 458 33 1.6 8 0.4 1,985 98.0

Yongding District

Mojiagang 1,811 583 21 1.2 2 0.1 1,788 98.7Hongxing

Village 1,741 715 386 22.2 0 0 1,335 97.8

Changtan Village 853 345 21 2.5 2 0.2 820 97.3

Hongtupin 1,113 360 75 6.7 2 0.2 1,036 93.1

58

gMatouxi 2,243 722 73 3.3 0 0 2,170 96.7

Total 31 49,441 14,317 10,781

10,146

28,277

6.2.1 Basic conditions of the project villages of ethnic minorities

In the five counties and cities of Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi where the project is

carried out, there are some villages with concentrated minority population. Among the

31 villages, there are 23 villages in which the ethnic minority populations account for

more than 50% of the villages’ total population, and among the 23 villages, there are

10 villages such as Sihuping, Hexin Village, Wachang Village and Xiqi Village in

which the ethnic minority populations account for more than 90%. In addition, there

are 11 villages with Miao people exceeding 30%, namely, Gaohe Village in Huayuan

County, Taozixi Village in Yongshun County, Hangtuo Village, Hongping Village,

Jilue Village, Jiating Village, Liantuan Village, Pinglang Village, Shu’er Village,

Qianghu Village and Sanchaping Village in Jishou City. In these villages where the

project carried out, the Miao people are not obviously different from the Han people

in terms of language and livelihood. They can understand Chinese and communicate

in Chinese they have their own language. The main livelihood means are also the

same with Han people such as working as migrant workers, breeding and planting.

They are highly integrated with the Han people and living in the same way, while the

traditional minority policy is not violated. In terms of the income level, there are great

differences in different villages, with some villages having an annual per capita

income of 13,000 CNY and some having 5,000 CNY. In addition, most of the people

in the 31 ethnic minority villages are very supportive of the project, which is generally

over 90%.

Although there is a high degree of integration between minority people and Han

people in the villages, the minority people have their own customs of living and

production. Therefore, in these villages or villagers' groups where ethnic minorities

are concentrated, the production and living habits of Miao people and Tujia people

shall be considered in the design or implementation of the project, so that the

implementation of the project can adapt to the cultural customs of the ethnic

minorities and is conducive to the protection on the rights and interests and the

development of ethnic minorities.

59

Table 6- 2 Overview of the project villages of ethnic minorities

Demonstration areas

Project villages

Percentage of ethnic

population (%)

Language used

Main mode of

livelihood

Income level (per person

annual income)

Degree of support for the project

(%)

Yongshun County

Liulangxi 95.9 ChineseMigrant work,

PlantingRMB 12,100 96.8

Taozixi 77.7 ChineseMigrant work,

PlantingRMB 12,020 96.1

Xishaba 54.6 ChineseMigrant work,

PlantingRMB 11,520 97.6

Hexin Village 98.7 Chinese

Migrant work, Planting

RMB 12,870 97.0

Wachang Village 97.3 Chinese

Migrant work, Planting

RMB 11,980 96.9

Xiqi Village 98.4 ChineseMigrant work,

PlantingRMB 13,002 97.2

Huayuan County

Gaohe Village 38.6

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,Migrant work RMB 5,470 96.7

Yongding District

Mojiagang 98.8Chinese,

Zhangjiajie dialect

Planting, Working

RMB 9,652 96.8

Hongxing Village 77.8 Chinese, local

dialects

Planting, Breeding, Working

RMB 8,920 97.4

Changtan Village 97.5 Chinese

migrant work, Working

RMB 11,201 96.9

Hongtuping 93.7 Chinese, local dialects

Planting, Breeding, Working

RMB 9,520 96.6

Matouxi 96.7 ChinesePlanting, Breeding, Working

RMB 12,218 97.8

Jishou City

Hangtuo Village 100.0

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 5,000 98.0

Hongping Village 100.0

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 5,500 97.8

Jilue Village 100.0Chinese,

Language of the Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 5,200 96.7

Jiating Village 100.0

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 6,500 98.1

Liantuan Village 100.0

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 5,000 97.9

Pinglang Village 92.3

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 8,000 97.6

Shu’er Village 94.8

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 7,000 98.0

Qianghu Village 95.0

Chinese, Language of the

Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 6,000 97.9

Sanchaping 95.0Chinese,

Language of the Miao People,

Working, Planting, Breeding

RMB 7,000 97.9

Cili County Xinhua Village 59.7

Chinese, Language of the

Tujia People

Planting and Breeding

RMB 7,000 98.2

Baiyang Village

43.2 Chinese, Language of the

Farming, Migrant work

RMB 7,000 97.5

60

Tujia People,

Fuxing Village 31.6

Chinese, Language of the

Tujia People,

Traditional Way

RMB 8,000 96.6

Guangdong Village 47.7

Chinese, Language of the

Tujia People,

Farming, Migrant work

RMB 6,800 97.3

Sihuping Village 98.8

Chinese, Language of the

Tujia People,

Farming, Migrant work

RMB 6,500 97.2

Xinpu Village 45.0

Chinese, Language of the

Tujia People,

Farming, Migrant work

RMB 7,530 97.6

Xurita 45.4 ChineseFarming,

Migrant workRMB 7,240 98.0

Yanzi 76.5Chinese,

Language of the Tujia People,

Migrant work, Farming

RMB 9,000 95.8

Yangliupu 53.8Chinese,

Language of the Tujia People,

Farming RMB 6,500 95.9

Zhuangta 88.0 Chinese Migrant work RMB 7,000 96.4

6.2.2 Customs and culture of Tujia Nationality in the demonstration area

According to the research of a famous scholar - Mr. Pan Guangdan, Tujia is the

offspring of ancient Ba people. At the end of Shang Dynasty, Ba people joined the war

against Kingdom Zhou and was honored the title of Bazi Kingdom due to war merit.

During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, Ba people mingled

with people of Chu Kingdom in the east side; under the threatening of Chu Kingdom,

Ba Kingdom retreated to the southwest area. Currently, Tujia is mainly distributed in

Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing at the center of Wuling Mountain and

Qingjiang River reaches. In October 1956, the State Council confirmed Tujia as a

single nationality formally. Tujia people are not significantly different from Han

people in language and livelihoods. They can communicate in Chinese while having

their own oral language. The main livelihoods s are also the same with Han people

such as working as migrant workers, breeding and planting. They are highly

integrated with Han people and living in the same way.

Language and character: Tujia in the demonstration area started to use Chinese

and Chinese characters at a very early stage.

Social governance: The village governance is similar to that of most rural areas

in China: that is to say, it integrates with the county administration and village

governance. The county administration refers to Level I county administration

(including town administration) - it is known as the grassroot rural governance

established according to law; the village governance refers to the village committee-it

is the grassroot self-autonomous organization in the village. Villages are mainly

61

constructed and governed by village committee under the guidance of township

government.

Religious belief: In the demonstration area, Tujia nationality believes in Taoism

and pays tribute to the ancestors. Tujia people believe in many gods, and their

religious beliefs include natural worship. Land, rocks, mountains, rivers, and water

are all objects of worship. Until now, almost every household has a shrine in the lobby

of their house to worship ancestral tablets. The festivals of the Tujia nationality in

demonstration area mainly include dragon-boat racing and “the 6th day of the Sixth

Lunar Month”. They attach great importance to the traditional festivals, especially in

the Spring Festival.

Local social customs: Before marriage of women of Tujia nationality in the

demonstration area, there is a custom of “crying wedding”. Prior to the wedding

ceremony, if a girl and her family don’t follow this custom, she will be ridiculed.

However, currently, this custom has already been gradually faded.

Modslity of production: Mainly planting rice. In the busy season, the local

residents plant seedling; people help those households short of labor; the recipient

households only need to provide food and drink for such free neighbourhood labour.

The mutual assistance custom has been inherited over thousands of years.

6.2.3 Customs and culture of Miao nationality in demonstration areas

Miao is an ancient ethnic nationality, scattered around the world. Miao people

are mainly distributed in Guizhou Province, Hunan Province, Hubei Province,

sichuang Province, Yunnan Province, Guangxi Province and Hainan Province and

other provinces and districts in China as well as Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and other

countries and regions in Southeast Asia. According to historical documents and word

of mouth materials, ancestors of the Miao first lived in the middle and lower reaches

of the Yellow River and their ancestor was Chiyou. “Sanmiao” era migrated to the

Jianghan Plain and then mitigated to the south and the west in a large scale due to

wars and other reasons, to mountainous areas of Southwest China and the Yunnan-

Guizhou Plateau. After the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, some Miao people

migrated to countries in Southeast Asia and then mitigated all the way to Europe and

America over in modern times. Miao had their own oral language. Language of the

Miao People has been included in Miao Language Branch of Miao-Yao Group of

Sino-Tibetan Family, consisting of three major dialects in western Hunan, eastern

62

Guizhou and Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. Due to long-term integration between

Miao and Han, most Miao people are proficient in Mandarin Chinese and are able to

use Mandarin Chinese.

Language: the daily communication of Miao people in the project area is mainly

in Miao language: 77.5% of the residents use Miao language and 22.5% use Chinese.

But most of these Miao people can understand Chinese and communicate in

Mandarin.Chinese characters are the main characters used in daily life, 88.1% of the

people are used to using Chinese characters and 11.9% are used to using Miao

characters.

Religious belief: religious belief of Miao in Demonstration Areas is dominated

by Taoism and Ancestor Worship. Miao in Demonstration Areas mainly celebrates

traditional Chinese festivals (Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn

Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day).

Social governance: The village governance is similar to that of most rural areas

in China: that is, it integrates with the county administration and village governance.

Township government refers to township level regime (including township regime),

and is the most grass-roots level government set up by the nation in rural areas

according to law; village governance refers to village committee, the most grass-roots

level self-governing mass organization in rural areas. Villages are mainly constructed

and governed by village committee under the guidance of township government.

There is no difference with the governance of Han villages.

Customs and habits: Miao in Demonstration Areas has various kinds of folk

recreational activities, such as “going to the last fair before spring festival”, “the 3rd

day of the Third Lunar Month”, “the 8th day of the Fourth Lunar Month”, “the 6th

day of the Sixth Lunar Month” and “the 7th day of the Seventh Lunar Month” and

other local ethnic festivals. Main foods of Miao are mainly rice, corn, beans and

potatoes, especially rice and corn.

Production modality: dominated by rice cultivation, without unique production

mode, there is no difference from Han people’s villages.

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6.3 Identification of ethnic minority in demonstration areas

6.3.1 Identification basis

“Ethnic minority” refers to the minority group in general term: unique and

vulnerable social and culture group. The World Bank defines ethnic minorities as (1)

self-identification as a member of a unique ethnic cultural group, and the

identification is also recognized by others; (2) collectively living in residential areas

or ancestral territories with unique geographical characteristics and living on the

natural resources of these residential areas and territories; (3) having traditional

cultural, economic, social or political systems different from dominated society and

culture; (4) having a minority language that is different from the official language of

the country or region.

6.3.2 Identification methods

On-site investigation: It aims to know about the population structure, racial

constitution, economic structure, ethnic minority village identification and living

customs of ethnic minority in each project village through on-site investigation.

Document review and documentary research. It include reviewing relevant data

and information from the annual statistics yearbook, statement, municipal annal and

county annal reports. This literature reflects population, ethnic group, culture and

customs in the demonstration area and the features of ethnic minority in the

demonstration area and production and living differences from Han people.

Interview with well-informed sources. It aims to conduct interview with well-

informed sources, such as responsible persons for the racial and religious belief

bureau, know about the ethnic minority type, population, racial features and

distribution in the demonstration area and know about the related projects under

construction in the demonstration area (they can promote the development of ethnic

minorities).

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6.3.3 Screening of ethnic minority

According to the identification basis, the social assessment team screened Tujia

and Miao in 31 project villages and drew the following conclusion:

In project villages, total population of Tujia nationality is 28277, accounting for

57.2% of the total population. Tujia in the demonstration area does not have its unique

or other recognized cultural features, living customs or local customs; the social,

economic, cultural and political organization has no difference from that of

mainstream races; the religious, sacrificing and totem worship activities do not have

obvious difference from the mainstream society. The language and characters of Tujia

nationality in the demonstration area are consistent with the mandarin language and

characters in the demonstration area, and they all use Putonghua and Chinese

characters. Therefore, it can integrate with the mainstream society. It does not fit the

World Bank definition of indigenous people (IP) and not applicable to the IP policy of

the World Bank.

In project villages, total population of Miao nationality is 10146, accounting for

20.5%. Miao nationality in the demonstration area have its unique or other recognized

cultural features, living customs or local customs; the cultural, economic, social and

political organization has no difference from that of mainstream nationality; the

religious, sacrificing and totem worship activities do not have obvious difference from

the mainstream society. Miao people uses their local language for daily

communication, but the Chinese characters is used for daily life, meanwhile they can

understand and communicate in mandarin Chinese in demonstration area. The land of

Miao is owned by the collective village; the contract responsibility system based on

the household with remuneration linked to output is adopted. Therefore, the Miao

people is well integrated with Han people in demonstration area, which does not fit

the definition of indigenous people (IP) of the World Bank and is not applicable to the

IP policy of the World Bank.

6.4 Implementation plans of the project villages of ethnic minorities

The social assessment team obtained the support and coordination of related

institutions of PMO and made careful investigation to local ethnic minorities,

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conducted comparative analysis on ethnic minority groups and come to the following

conclusion: Whether ethnic minority was concentrated in the demonstration area;

undertookcomparative sutdies with the mainstream group, and identified the

difference and fragility of ethnic minority. The screening excercise shows that: Tujia

and Miao people in the demonstration area have a high level of integration with the

mainstream society, and have no significant difference with the mainstream Han

people. The Project will not bring negative impacts on them but positive impact will

be induced as done for other groups of people. The World Bank IP policyis deemed

not applicable to them. There is no need to prepare an ethnic minority development

plan under this project. In order to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic

groups as much as possible, it is recommended to work out an inclusive project

implementation plan taking into consideration of the development needs and social as

well as cultural characteristics of the ethnic groups and enhance inclusive

development measures of the project in the project villages in Cili County, Huayuan

County, Jishou City and Yongshun County where there are Tujia and Miao people.

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7. Social Impact and Risk Analysis

7.1 Analysis of social impact

7.1.1 Positive impact

Positive Impact of Project Implementation in a Short Term:

1. Launching the project information sharingto enhance stakeholders’

awareness of producing safe products. Through the survey, it is found that the

understanding of partial stakeholders on the cause and the result of agricultural land

heavy metal pollution is not sufficient. The project information sharing and training

are organized to improve the stakeholder’s awareness of governance urgency of

farmland heavy metal pollution control.

2. Organizing the project training to improve farmer households’ skills of

producing safe products. Through the survey, it is discovered that the excess heavy

metals in the agricultural product relate to the agronomic technology of the armer

households. The optimization of the agronomic technology can reduce the heavy

metal contamination to the agricultural product. Therefore, the project aims to

organize training program for the farmer households and thus upgrade the safe

product production skills.

3. Encouraging the public to participate in the project and reaching a

common consensus in the governance of heavy metal pollution of farmland.

Through the survey, it is found that the stakeholders still have many disputes over

whether the treatment is needed and how to treat the pollution. Consensus on the

agricultural land heavy metal contamination treatment will be achieved through public

participation.

4. Improving the infrastructure construction to create favorable conditions

for agricultural production. It is discovered by the social assessment team that

farmer households’ desire to improve local out-dated irrigation infrastructure is quite

strong. To the social assessment team, most villagers reflect that the local

infrastructure is poor, especially the road and the water; there are always problems in

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the demonstration area such as insufficient investment in the rural infrastructure as

well as lacking effective investment and management, etc. These problems seriously

prevent the sustainable development of agricultural production and rural areas. The

project will create favorable conditions for agricultural production through the

engineering, such as clean water irrigation, channel modification and machinery

farming road maintenance projects, etc.

5. Executing environmental management and agricultural environment

surveillance to provide technical support for agricultural product quality

management. Through the survey, it is found that the demonstration area lacks the

monitoring facilities of agricultural product and soil, which results in lack of clear

understanding of the related government departments and the farmer households on

the heavy metal pollution level of agricultural product. Through the environmental

management and the agricultural environment monitoring, the project will provide

technical supports for agricultural product quality management.

6. Establishing the farmers’ specialized cooperatives to improve farmer

households’ risk resistance capability and product competitiveness. The long-time

backwardness of the demonstration area enables many farmer households to realize

that their scattered situation will make them live on repeated sell of primary

agricultural products which have low added value and production efficiency as well as

difficulties in market integration. Most farmer households have to go through the local

or non-local vendors if they want to sell the agricultural products. Finally, the

products will go to the company. What the farmer households get is only the price of

the primary agricultural products and what they earn is the money from running

around here and there. The real added value lies in the deep processing. Therefore, the

farmer households gradually realize it and urgently desire to be led by the

cooperatives and big peasant households to improve the market competitiveness of the

product, extend the industrial chain and increase the product price. Cultivating

farmers’ specialized cooperatives will help improve the risk resistance capacity of the

farmer households and the agricultural product competitiveness.

7. Generating considerable economic benefits. Through the survey, it is found

that the agricultural land heavy metal pollution control has already affected the

agricultural production and the farmers’ income to some extent. The project

governance measures can yield considerable economic benefits mainly in the

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following four aspects: (1) Raise the sales price of agricultural products. Taking

corresponding measures enables the agricultural land to produce qualified agricultural

products, which can increase the agricultural product price. (2) Reduce the cost of

agricultural production. The agricultural capital cost can be decreased by about 30%

by supporting and cultivating the agricultural cooperatives. (3) Improve the land use

efficiency. The land utilization efficiency of the farmers’ cooperatives is increased. By

cultivating the farmers’ cooperatives, the land utilization efficiency can be increased.

(4) Upgrade the added value of agricultural products. The project team cultivates the

farmers’ specialized cooperatives and establishes the monitoring facilities, which

provides organizational and technical supports for agriculture industrialization and is

good for increasing the added value of agricultural products.

8. The project brings significant social benefits. In the investigation, we found

that there were many migrant workers in the demonstration area, low income people

were trapped in a poverty cycle dominated by traditional agricultural management and

planting patterns, and there was a lack of useful experience in managing heavy metal

pollution in agricultural land. The implementation of the project can effectively solve

the above-mentioned problems and produce obvious social benefits. Firstly, it is

conducive to the return of migrant workers. The project creates employment

opportunities and working posts for migrant workers; in particular, it creates more

employment opportunities for women. Secondly, it is conducive to poverty alleviation

and wealth. Low income people are mainly restricted by information, technology and

capital, which leads them to enter the poverty cycle. By providing support in aspects

of information, technologies and funds to the low-income individuals, the project

team is able to help them out of poverty. Thirdly, it's beneficial to forming the

agricultural land pollution treatment pattern. Currently, the agricultural land pollution

treatment is lacking the experience and the pattern for reference. Find out an effective

technical and management pattern in demonstration areas by implementing the

project, to set an example to other areas in the aspect of heavy metal pollution control.

According to survey data: the highest positive impact assessment made by

residents in project villages on the project is guaranteeing the quality safety of

agricultural products (92.3%), followed by improvement of rural infrastructure

(86.5%), improvement of awareness of residents to control farmland pollution

governance (76.2%), effective governance and reasonable utilization of polluted

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farmlands (72.6%), improvement of income of local farmer households (65.9%),

facilitation of scale operation and creation of rural brands (53.3%) and increase of

employment opportunities for local rural residents (46.9%). Please refer to Table 7-1

in detail. According to survey results: firstly, the purpose of the project is consistent

with the expectation of rural residents, i.e. production of healthy and safe foods in

polluted farmlands; secondly, the project has not only social benefits, such as effective

governance of polluted farmlands, but also economic benefits, such as improving the

income of local rural residents; thirdly, the operation mode of creating rural brands of

the project with the basic carrier of rural cooperatives is also widely recognized.

Table 7-1 Positive impact assessment of residents on “Farmland and Safety and

Quality Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products”

Response Percentage of number of casesN Percentage

Guarantee to quality safety of agricultural products 876 18.5% 92.3%

Improvement of awareness of residents to control farmland pollution 723 15.3% 76.2%

Improvement of rural infrastructure 821 17.4% 86.5%Effective governance and reasonable utilization of polluted farmlands 689 14.6% 72.6%

Facilitation of scale operation and creation of rural brands 506 10.7% 53.3%

Increase of employment opportunities for local farmer households 445 9.4% 46.9%

Improvement of income of local farmer households 625 13.2% 65.9%

Others 35 0.7% 3.7%4,723 100.00% 497.4%

7.1.2 Negative Impact

(1) During the project implementation, the transformation of the agricultural

production structure will be carried out and cropping may be restructured in some

areas of heavily contaminated land, which will affect the income, farming skills and

habits of some farmers in a short term.

(2) Dust, noise, temporary stacking of garbage and sludge generated during the

construction of the project will bring temporary adverse effects on the tidiness of the

environment in the demonstration area and will cause short-term negative effects on

the daily travel, production and life of residents in the demonstration area.

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7.2 Analysis of social risks

7.2.1 Involuntary resettlement

There is no need for land acquisition for the project activities and no need to

change ownership nature of the land for civil works in project sites. All civil works

will be carried out within the village, and the constructed facilities are also used by

the villagers without a need for land acquisition or resettlement of people. The scale

of crop restructuring involved is 66.7 hectares according to plan, 33.3 hectares in

Jishou City and 33.4 hectares in Hengnan County respectively. The crops replanted

will be corn, sorghum and other one-year crops instead of rice. The specific farmer

households involved in the recropping land are still uncertain before the project

evaluation. The measures taken in the demonstration area are mainly land restoration

and rehabilitation. In some moderately or heavily polluted areas, crop replanting is

adopted. In the demonstration area, the prohibited planting is not implemented and

land requisition is not involved. Engineering measures in the project area can be

divided into two categories: (1) renovation of irrigation channel or drainage ditches.

Mainly, it is to carry out reinforcement and repair on the basis of the original channel.

(2) The use of electric irrigation station for which the land is required will be all

within the scope of project village and the nature of collective ownership of the

village will not be changed. The implementation of the project will not involve land

acquisition or house demolition in the newly-added demonstration area, but farmers

who need to replant a small number of new crops in the above mentioned heavily

contaminated sites will face a reduction of income in the short term. The eco-

compensation measures for crop restructuring of the project and the original

resettlement policy framework shall be observed, and the resettlement framework

shall be publicized and implemented in the newly-added demonstration area. In

summary, there is no need for a new resettlement policy framework.

7.2.2 Livelihood Risk of Farmer Households

The crops restructuring will bring certain risks such as short term income from

crops, change to farm skills and habits. In the project execution, the farmland product

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changes include three types: reserve the original planting habits; change planting

variety of farmland; adjust the farming system.

There are mainly four categories of social risks brought by reserving existing

planting habits and implementing land remediation: firstly, marketing risk. In the

project, rice is replanted to low-cadmium varieties, and thus quality of rice grain will

be affected, which means that existing marketing channels and methods may be

affected. There is a certain marketing risk for new varieties. Secondly, the risk of

substandard food products growing in project sites. During the control period, food

crops that do not meet the standards cannot enter the food chain and can only be used

as biological raw materials. And the price of grain crops used as industrial raw

materials is 1/3 lower than that of normal grain crops. The third tyoe of risk is output

reduction. Replanting low-cadmium varieties will increase the risk of rice blast and

may further lead to reduction of output.

According to survey data: the top concern for farmer households is reduction of

actual income of rural residents in short term (78.4%), followed by increase of

agricultural production labor amount (33.3%) as well as marketing risk incurred by

replanting varieties (31.2%). Please refer to Table 7-2.

Table 7-2 Negative impact potentially caused by Farmland Quality Improvement Project

No (%) Yes (%) Effective sample sizeReduction of actual income of farmer households in short term

21.6 78.4 949

Increase of agricultural production labor amount

66.7 33.3 949

Unmarketable Replanted crop products 68.8 31.2 949Construction will destroy the original vegetation, resulting in water and soil loss

76.3 23.7 949

Construction will cause the road dust, vehicle exhaust, and other environmental pollution

74.2 25.8 949

The noise of construction work will affect the rest of farmer households

89.5 10.5 949

There are also three categories of risks brought by farmland restructuring: the

first is the risk of cost benefit of replanted crops. Input cost of replanted crops is

restricted by seeds, technologies and labor and other factors, with some uncertainty;

revenues of replanted crops are affected by the market and other factors. To this end,

there is a certain risk of cost benefit for replanted crops. The second is the risk of

marketing. There are risks in replanting fruit trees, vegetables and cotton, that is, the

risk of establishing new sales channels. The procurement system of governmental

protective price is not formulated for fruit trees and vegetables; lack of governmental

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support system will increase the farmer’s income risks. The third is the risk of

management. Replanting will not only implement new requirements on technical

management of replanted crops but also require project villages to establish fair,

transparent and standardized management procedures.

According to survey data: in the process of restructuring, the top concern for

farmer households is the reduction of actual income in the same year (51.4%),

followed by unmarketable replanted crops (38.5%). Please refer to Table 7-3.

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Table 7-3 Negative impact potentially caused by restructuring

Response Percentage of number of cases (%)Sample

sizePercentage

(%)Reduction of farmer households’ actual income in the same year

197 27.7% 51.4

Increase of agricultural production labor 165 23.2% 22.3Unmarketable replanted crop products 180 25.4% 38.5Construction will destroy the original vegetation, resulting in water and soil loss

95 13.4% 18.7

Increased household debt in short term 68 9.6% 13.5Others 5 0.7% 0.9

710 100.00% 145.3

The adjustment of farming system will bring the risk of reducing net income.

Changes in the planting pattern may increase the input of labor force. If the input

cannot be reasonably subsidized, the net income will be reduced.

Table 7-4 Potential social risks of change in agricultural technologiesChange in agricultural technology Potential social risks

Maintain existing planting habits: Select and plant low-cadmium accumulative products based on the existing types (V), irrigate with clean water (I), spray lime (P), adopt leaf inhibitor and control agent (Si) and spray soil adjustment agent (bacteria).

1. Risk of market sales2. Poor quality risk of agricultural products3. Risk of output reduction

Change farmland planting system: Change to plant cotton, vegetable and fruit tree (grapefruit)

1. Risk of cost benefit;2. Risk of marketing;3. Risk of management.

Adjust farming system (planting model): Change to plant double-season rice in the “rice- rice-green fertilizer” model, change to plant one-season rice in the “rice-bean” model and change to plant one-season paddy in the “rice-rape” model

1. Risk of reduction of net earnings

7.2.3 Risk of Public Misunderstanding

The environmental pollution in the demonstration area is relatively complicated.

Except heavy metal pollution in soil, some areas are also polluted by industrial waste

water, waste gas and rural living pollution. Such pollution will bring harm to the

health and life of local residents. There are four main types of public opinion risks

brought about by the implementation of the project: the first one is the risk of

improper attribution. In the process of investigation, local residents responded that the

pollution caused crop failure and domestic water become inedible. These phenomena

are caused by various kinds of pollution. When no other pollution control is started,

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the treatment of agricultural land soil pollution may lead local residents to attribute all

problems to heavy metal pollution and then put forward corresponding claims. The

second category is the risk of exaggeration of heavy metal pollution. Heavy metal

pollution control in agricultural land dominated by government departments is easy to

label all agricultural products in the demonstration area as excessive heavy metals. If

it is not handled properly, it will easily cause mass incidents in the demonstration

area. The third category is the risk of resident’s environmental protection awareness.

The main stakeholder groups have different orientations in their roles played in

environmental pollution and environmental protection. They neither think that they

shall take responsibility for surrounding environmental pollution nor believe that they

are one of subjects involved in environmental governance. Therefore, they believe

that the responsibility for soil improvement should be mainly borne by the

government or some organizations, and they are mainly implementer.

7.2.4 Vulnerability risks of disadvantaged groups such as minorities

and low-income people

To-be-included project areas will involve 11,391 people just out of poverty

including 46,594 left-behind seniors, 7,336 people with disabilities and 9,341 left-

behind women and 31 project villages in the five project counties and cities at

Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi Prefecture where Tujia and Miao dominate, among which 11

project villages have more Miao people and 20 project villages have more Tujia

people. Miao people in the eleven project villages of three project counties namely

Huayuan, Yongshun and Jishou amount to above 30%. To reduce the vulnerability of

these week people, this Project will take powerful measures to have them participate

in and benefiting from the project on an equal basis.

The first is to enhance the intentions of the disadvantaged groups to participate in

trainings, establish a mechanism of full participation by disadvantaged groups and

ensure their in-depth participation and extensive consultation in all aspects including

trainings, subsidies, and management; the second is to communicate well with

disadvantaged groups as simple and easy as possible based on the language and

cultural habits of local residents; the third is to establish a grievance mechanism to

maintain the rights and interests of disadvantaged groups in an effective manner.

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7.2.5 Risk of land transfer

The Project does not involve large-scale land transfer, most of which, however, is

a voluntary action. Risks still exist in project-related land transfer mainly including

three categories: Firstly it is a blind pursuit of high circulation rate without

consideration of the local natural conditions and realities in development and without

any respect to the intentions and autonomous rights of farmers; Secondly there is a

lack of an exit mechanism in contractual rights of land, which can hardly protect the

farmer’s benefits and will affect the grain production safety. For example, non-

standard circulation contracts prevent the farmers’ benefits from being guaranteed.

Thirdly it is circulation without title affirmation due to the delay in granting a

certificate for land title affirmation and registration, which can easily cause disputes

over land. For example, after the transfer, "the small farmland merges with the large"

and the field boundaries disappear and hence as time goes by, it is hard to make clear

of ownership of a farmland. Besides, in case of no evidence in hand, the farmland

becomes lost by land transfer. Therefore, in the project implementation stage, it is

necessary to regulate the land transfer procedures according to law, respect the

intentions of farmers who are allowed to make voluntary decisions on land transfer.

For the farmers who have transferred their farmland, it is necessary to maintain the

interests of the both parties of such transfer and develop a risk-prevention and exit

mechanism.

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8. Public Participation and Information Disclosure

The domestic and international development practice reveals: The participation

of beneficial group is the primary condition of project success. We can conclude that

the real meaning of “participation” refers to positive and active participation; the

participant has decision making right. Therefore, “enable the beneficial group to

participate in the project” aims to enable the farmers to participate in various

procedures of project activities in a positive and effective manner—In the respect of

project design, execution, management, surveillance and evaluation, they have the

right of speech; their opinions can be adopted by the project management department

and can affect the decision making.

8.1 Principle of public participation and information disclosure

1. Keep the publicity of project information, and carry out the project publicity

work throughout the project cycle. Establish the regular disclosure system for project

information, and regularly disclose the project information closely related to major

stakeholders on the notice-board in the community public places such as the village

committee. In addition, inform the stakeholders of the preparation and implementation

of the project through group meetings, representative meetings, slogans, television

and radios, and the like.

2. Help the main stakeholders to establish the project subject consciousness. The

assessment team suggests conducting the following types of training: (1) carry out the

participatory training to the main stakeholders of the project, and guide them to

actively think about the problems on community development, agricultural land heavy

metal pollution, environmental protection and so on; (2) conduct the environmental

knowledge training and guide the main stakeholders to think about the impact of their

own production and life styles on the soil and how to conduct soil protection on their

owns; (3) carry out the training on project technology, and eliminate the concerns of

the main stakeholders to the project.

3. Attract the main stakeholders to participate in the project construction, give

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priority to hiring them to provide paid labors for the project, and allow them to

provide logistics services for the construction of the project.

4. Pay attention to the role of the village community cadres and local community

strength in project implementation. The village community cadres shall participate in

the project awareness raising for villagers, training, mobilization, villager need

reflection, discovery of issues andproblems, coordination of contradictions and

subsequent management at village level, especially setting up village monitoring

group of the field project implementation .

5. Carry out the village-level participatory management of village soil

governance and protection, and mobilize the masses to ensure the sustainability of the

project effects.

6. Promote the participation of disadvantaged groups. In the project design,

instructive stipulations are formulated for the disadvantaged groups such as women

and minorities. For instance, no less than 50% of total women are required to

participate in the training program (the standard can be properly graced in the

minority group); various communities are required to prommote appropriate ratio of

low-income farmer households and ethnic minorities to participate in the project and

it is adopted as the project evaluation indicator. In order to listen to the voice of

disadvantaged groups, the village project team includes the representatives of women,

minority group and low-income populations. In view of rather low cultural level in the

women and ethnic minority, various demonstration areas organize special training

programs, select proper teaching contents, methods and language according to the

actual demand and thus upgrade the training effect. As for the demonstration area

distributed with scattered ethnic minority, easy and special training program is

organized according to their features and demand.

The assessment team has drawn up the outline of participation and conducting

activities by the project beneficiary through project cycle such as agricultural land soil

environmental management, which specifically includes the above suggestions of the

assessment team in participation.

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8.2 Participation of stakeholders in the project preparation stage

8.2.1 Basic participation methods

The social assessment team has launched a series of Project publicity activities

and mobilized main stakeholders to participate in Project decision-making activities

within the areas affected by the project. The participation of each stakeholder in

Project is launched in three levels:

(1) Official Symposium

The assessment team convenes symposium participated by PMO officials in each

level and relevant governmental departments to learn and collect: ①Status quo of

implementation of Projects approved locally and assessment of such Projects; ②Risk

analysis of Project and discussion of countermeasures to lower risks; ③Suggestions

on how to improve Project effect; ④Problems existing in each approved Project;

⑤Estimation of influence from Project implementation; ⑥Collect all relevant

literature data and statistical annual statement of three levels, province, county and

township.

(2) Project Farmer Households and Farmers’ Cooperatives meeting

The assessment team shall convene consultative meetings with owner of each

sub-project. Themes of meetings: ①Background and process of Project approval; get

to know status quo of Project implementation and its assessment; ②Project design

process; ③Problems existing in Project; ④Suggestions on improvement of Project

effect and avoidance of risks; ⑤Collect filing data of the project owner concerning

Project; ⑥Select investigation points.

(3) Consultative participation of major stakeholders

The assessment team launched out consultation and participation in the

stakeholders. In the on-site work of each sub-project, the assessment team selected

different survey points in order to cover the main stakeholder groups affected by the

project. The assessment team launched out the unlimited preliminary participation

among main stakeholder groups. Evaluation Team selected different stakeholders for

interview. A total of 60 villagers received in-depth interview including 20 women

(33.3%), 20 minorities (33.3%) and 20 low income populations (33.3%). A total of 8

leaders of farmers’ cooperatives and main planting farmers have received in-depth

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interview. A total of 8 leaders of the government at the town and township level and

leaders of the Village Committees in the Project Villages have received in-depth

interview. A total of 10 administrators and implementers of the Project Counties have

received in-depth interview. In addition, two types of questionnaire surveys are

performed in 11 project counties according to a certain sampling proportion; Firstly,

1,100 social assessment questionnaires are distributed in 11 project counties, 949 of

which are effectively recovered, and the questionnaire recovery rate is 86.3%;

Secondly, 500 ethnic identification questionnaire are distributed in 5 project counties

inhabited by ethnic minorities, 365 of which are effectively recovered, and the

questionnaire recovery rate is 73.0%.

8.2.2 Participation contents and activities of information disclosure

The participation in the project preparation stage mainly aims to reach consensus

and design the appeal plan that can adequately reflect the demand of stakeholders.

Please refer to Table 8-1 for the specific participation catalog.

Table 8-1 Participation Model of Main StakeholdersParticipation

activities Contents of activity Methods of activity Participants

Project publicity

①Publicize the importance and necessity of project execution; request for their opinions and suggestions.②Timely deliver the information on the date and place of project implementation, land expropriation and demolition plans, compensation and settlement schemes concerned by the main affected groups.

Posters, brochures, public meetings, slogans and propaganda lists.

①All members of village②Project owner③PMO

Analysis of affected groups

①Confirm affected groups and basic living status②Confirm the positive and negative impact of various groups

Villager representative meetingWomen symposiumSymposium of low-income households

①Village representative (including low income households, ethnic minority and women)②Villages /village committees③Project owners and PMO

Problem analysis

①Analyze the current situations and existing problems of villages /village agricultural land pollution, and to what extent these problems affect the development of villages.②Help residents to analyze what aspects of agricultural land pollution are related to their lifestyles.

Villager representative meetingWomen symposiumSymposium of low-income households

Evaluation of

indigenous knowledge

Analyze specific contents of indigenous knowledge that can alleviate the agricultural land soil pollution.

Villager representative meetingWomen symposiumSymposium of low-income households

Demand analysis

Identify the needs of various groups affected by the project and analyze the gap between these needs and the project design.

Villager representative meetingWomen symposiumSymposium of low-income households

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Problem feedback

①Evaluate the project design plan and project contents②Expectations and suggestions from key stakeholders on the project.

Villager representative meetingWomen symposiumSymposium of low-income households

Training

①Strengthen training on national and local environmental indicators and environmental protection laws and regulations for the local residents.②Launch out training on farmland pollution control.③Propagate to the masses the lifestyle which may have possible impact on the surrounding environment, and help the residents in the demonstration area to realize the impact of their lifestyles on the surrounding environment.

①Villager representative conference②Posters, brochures, slogan and propaganda list.

①All members of village②Project owner③PMO④Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau⑤Village Committee

8.3 Public participation in project execution stage

All the members of village, village committee, project owner, PMO and village

project management team shall participate in Project construction and monitoring in

forms of village congress, villager representative congress and village project

management team meeting. Please refer to Table 8-2 in detail.

Table 8-2 Participation Outline of Main Stakeholders in Project Construction StageParticipation

activities Contents of activity Methods of activity Participants

Village project organization - management

team

Determine members of the team, elect the team leaders, execute the organization training, select and manage personnels involved in Project construction, maintain social security in construction site, coordinate the relationships with each party and reflect villagers’ opinions.

①Village congress②Village/villager representative congress③Village project management team meeting (including low income households, resettled groups, ethnic minority and women)

①All members of village②Village committee③Project owner④PMO⑤Village Project management team

Project construction

①Determine the establishment method of professional agricultural organization, introduction method of social capital and method of agricultural land soil remediation;②Determine jobs available for Project construction;③Confirm the selection standard of construction staffs and must include resettled groups, ethnic minority, low income households and women④Determine remuneration of personnel involved in Project construction;⑤Technical training and safety system training of personnel involved in construction;⑥Participation in Project construction

①Village plenary meeting②Village representative congress③Participation in the project construction

①The construction staffs include the resettled groups, ethnic minority, women and low income households ②PMO③Project owner④Project construction institution⑤Village project management team⑥Social capital representative

Village/village project soil monitoring

team

①Regular soil monitoring②Make the surveillance to the recovery situation of living standard for resettled groups③Monitor the recovery situation of natural

①Village congress②Village/villager representative congress③Village project surveillance team

①All members of village②Village committee③ Project owner④PMO

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environment upon the completion of project④Make regular surveillance of agricultural products

(including low income households, resettled groups, ethnic minority, and women)

⑤Village Project monitoring team

Training Monitoring and evaluation skill trainingVillage/village project monitoring team training meeting

①Village/village project monitoring team②PMO③Project owner

Complaints Establish the opinion feedback system for village members.

①Print “Project Complaints Table” and give out it to each villager group to make it convenient for the villagers to timely express their opinions;②Establish the complaint hotline in PPMO;③The village monitoring teams collect opinions and suggestions from the farmer households at any time.

①Village/village project monitoring team②All members of village③PMO and Project owner

8.4 Information Disclosure

The participation right and consultation rights of migrants and affected personnel

shall be paid more attention during the stages of migrant resettlement, policy-making,

and plan preparation and implementation. The objects of public participation are

classified into three types, i.e. related government departments at various levels,

expert teams and affected village collective and population. Resettlement related

planning and social assessment shall involve stakeholders consultation according to

steps of public participation to ensure full participation of affected groups. Relevant

projects documents shall be disclosed according to requirements and policies of the

World Bank and relevant archives shall be filed or disseminated according to domestic

requirements.

Opportunities including social economic investigation and social impact

assessment and investigation shall be utilized to extensively publicize and introduce

resettlement policy of the project by various means and solicit opinions from various

kinds of affected population. After extensive public participation, coordination and

communication, local governments, affected village collectives and affected

population have already fully understood the potential influence, settlement policy

and income recovery plan of the project.

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The project resettlement office and the local resettlement organizations at all

levels may adopt the following procedures and methods to encourage the affected

population to participate in negotiation:

(1) Publicize basic information of the project and attract the affected population

to actively participate in the project.

Through posting on notice boards, radio and television, network media,

investigation and discussion, and the like, introduce the basic situations of this project

to the affected groups and enable the affected population to have a more fully project

awareness and understanding to this project. The project information mainly includes

objectives of agricultural land pollution prevention and control; impacts of

agricultural land pollution control projects; project compensation standards,

compensation amounts and settlement policies; immigrants’ suggestions feedback and

complaint channels, and the like.

(2) Convening of public consultative meeting

The project resettlement office aperiodically organizes affected population to

attend consulting meeting based on the actual conditions of Project land acquisition

and demolition. At least 5 meetings shall be convened. The number of participants

shall not be lower than 30% of the total affected population. During each meeting,

representatives of disadvantaged groups especially women and ethnic minorities shall

be invited to attend the meeting. The number of disadvantaged groups including

women and ethnic minorities attending the meeting shall not be lower than 30% of

total number of participants. Also, the meeting shall be monitored by relevant external

independent monitoring organization. Furthermore, Project construction contents,

progress and resettlement policy of the project shall be publicized through TV,

broadcasting, newspaper and network.

(3) Convening of public hearing

As for issuing centering on resettlement including alternative crops and planting

technologies, migrants’ compensation expectations and difficulties faced by migrants,

the migrants may fully express their opinions first and then sorting of concentration

ratios of needs, opinions and suggestions are formed through discussion, analysis and

voting. Then, the community discussion results will be made public.

(4) Disclosure of RPF

PMO shall disclose the resettlement policy framework to affected people and the

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public in demonstration areas. The general places used to disclose resettlement policy

framework can be public places, villager activity rooms in the affected village

committees, government public information website, etc. The language used shall be

easy to understand. The draft of resettlement frame shall be publicized one month

before it is submitted to the World Bank for approval. After the draft is recognized by

the World Bank, the final version can be publicized. The main contents of resettlement

frame include all lost property, compensation standards, compensation amount,

resettlement policy, migrants’ rights and interests, and opinion feedback and

complaint channels, etc.

(5) Disclosure of monitoring results of agricultural products during project

implementation period

The villager monitoring group shall monitor the agricultural land products with

the agricultural product monitoring equipment and announce the monitoring results.

For monitoring of agricultural products, the single cropping rice is generally

monitored once, and the double cropping rice is monitored twice. The monitoring

results of agricultural products can be announced in the village information column,

centralized activity places of villagers, activity rooms of affected village committees

and villagers, government public information website, etc., and the language should

be easy to understand and avoid the ambiguity.

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9. Conclusions and Suggestions

9.1 Basic conclusions

Project Overview

The main contents of “Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land

Pollution Project” cover four aspects: agricultural polluted soil management,

sustainable soil management practice, environmental management and agricultural

environment monitoring, and project monitoring, evaluation and management. Project

counties include 14 counties: Hengyang County, Yongding District, Jishou City,

Baojing County, Huayuan County, Yongshun County, Cili County, Zhongfang County,

Anhua County, Hengnan County, Linwu County, Yizhang County, Lengshuitan

District and Qiyang County. So far more than two years have passed since the Project

was officially launched for implementation. During the implementation, 11 project

counties (namely Anhua County, Cili County, Yongshun County, Huayuan County,

Jishou City, Qiyang County, Linwu County, Lengshuitan District, Hengnan County,

Hengyang County and Yongding District) plan to include more project areas or

enlarge the coverage of the previous project areas based on the farmland pollution

inspection data and project need, which will involve 2270.5 hectares farmland, 29

townships (towns), 60 administrative villages and 113,917 beneficiaries including

7336 people with disabilities and 9341 left-behind women.

Purpose and Process of Social Assessment

Social assessment aims to identify main stakeholders of newly-added

demonstration areas and their needs as well as opportunities ， impacts and risks

brought by project construction and operation to stakeholders, and to deveop action

plan to evade or relieve social risks, assist in perfecting project design and

implementation, and get individuals & groups under direct impact of the project

activities to effectively participate in project activities.

To support design and implementation of the project by the project unit, the

social assessment team carried out the social assessment and survey of 11 project

counties planning for newly-added demonstration areas from December 16 to

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December 25, 2020 with support and coordination of related departments.

Participatory social assessment method is adopted during the whole social assessment

process. Information disclosure and public consultation are used for information

collection. Social assessment is made in the 11 project counties by structural

interview, group interview, participatory scoring and ranking, matrix analysis of

project impact, social resource survey and resource map drawing. A total of 8 leaders

of farmers’ cooperatives and main planting farmers have received in-depth interview.

A total of 8 leaders of the government at the town and township level and leaders of

the Village Committees in the Project Villages have received in-depth interview. A

total of 10 administrators and implementers of the Project Counties have received in-

depth interview. A total of 60 villagers have received in-depth interview including 20

women (33.3%), 20 minorities (33.3%) and 20 low income people (33.3%). In

addition, two types of questionnaire surveys are performed in 11 project counties

according to a certain sampling proportion; 1100 social assessment questionnaires are

distributed in 11 project counties, 949 of which are effectively recovered, and the

questionnaire recovery rate is 86.3%; 500 ethnic identification questionnaire are

distributed in 5 project districts and counties inhabited by ethnic minorities, 365 of

which are effectively recovered, and the questionnaire recovery rate is 73.0%.

Needs of Main Stakeholders

Total farmland governance scale in 11 project counties is 2270.5 hectares. Based

on the field survey, social assessment team have identified main stakeholders of the

project and carried out participation and consultation with main stakeholders. Needs

of those main stakeholders are as follows:

Common needs: Develop agricultural production, increase opportunities for

employment and entrepreneurship, enhance risk resistance, administer heavy metal

pollution of farmland and improve farmers’ production and living standards.

Needs of farmer households in demonstration areas: Total population involved in

demonstration areas is 114,000. The needs of farmer households in demonstration area

include: (1) Improve agricultural production infrastructure, e.g. repair or new

construction of irrigation channels, farm tracks, and other relevant facilities: (2) Better

local ecological environment, improve quality of agricultural products and develop

ecological agriculture; (3) Participate in farmers’ cooperatives and lower production

risks and cost; (4) Adjust the agricultural structure, increase the ratio of cash crops in

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a proper manner and improve income level; (5) Lower the risk of increase of cost

brought to farmers during administration process of heavy metal of farmland.

There is a total of 47 specialized farmers’ cooperatives in demonstration areas.

Needs of cooperatives: (1) Acquire the capital support, lower the financing cost and

lighten the capital stress for development of ecological agriculture; (2) Improve

organization management level of cooperatives and facilitate local agriculture to adopt

scaled development path; (3) Establish heavy metal monitoring stations for soil and

agricultural products , improve quality management level of agricultural products and

promote the local agriculture to adopt the development path of ecological agriculture;

(4) Lower risks of sales of agricultural products and increase of costs.

Needs of project village committees: (1) Establish and perfect farmers’

specialized cooperatives and promote local industrial upgrading; (2) Strengthen local

farmers’ environment awareness and planting technology training as well as their

environmental protection awareness and technological level; (3) Formulate the

reasonable compensation mechanism and reduce the income risk of rural residents.

Needs of agricultural departments: (1) Smoothly and successfully complete the

Project through cooperation with stakeholders; (2) Help farmer households in the

demonstration area control heavy metal pollution of farmland, develop agricultural

production and improve the quality of agricultural products; (3) Explore local

farmland pollution control technologies and management models through

improvements of the World Bank project.

Needs of other relevant departments of the government: (1) Improve soil quality

and local ecological environment and improve administration and monitoring level of

local environment: (2)Promote the economic development of project counties and

Demonstration Areas; drive the ecological development path of agriculture and

promote rural revitalization; (3) Drive economic and social development, realize

political stability and improve government image; (4) Improve production and living

conditions of low income people, enhance the living standards of low income

population, safeguard social stability and promote harmonious development.

Analysis of Low-Income people

11 project counties planning to include more areas, three counties once were

nationally designated poverty counties and five were provincially designated, all of

which have taken off the hats of poverty but are still in poverty such as relative

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poverty, low income population, etc. Poor people amount to low income population,

mainly referring to low income people of poor households just out of poverty in 2020.

A total of 2,650 low income households (11,391 low income people) are included in

the demonstration areas of 11 counties and cities planning for farmland governance,

with a relative poverty incidence of 10%.

The low-income residents mainly obtain their income from traditional

agriculture. According to survey, 60.0% of low-income individuals mainly obtain their

income from planting industry and breeding industry. Income from farmlands of

poverty-stricken households’ accounts for 63.5% of household income on average.

Low income people have already had some knowledge of the project but some of

them are still not clearly aware of the project, which indicates a need of further

advocacy campaigns among low income people. In addition, low income households

have relatively consistent supporting attitude towards the Project. According to the

investigation result, 95.2% of low-income households maintain that “Safety and

Quality Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products” is

beneficial to the local social and economic development. All low-income households

support the project.

Low quality of agricultural products, high medical expenditure and low degree of

agricultural industrialization are the main reasons causing poverty. Poverty caused by

diseases and lacking of technology is the main factor causing poverty. 28.5% low

income population fall into poverty due to diseases; 26.4% low income population fall

into poverty due to lacking of technology. The low-income individuals have proposed

the needs for improvement of quality of agricultural products, strengthening of

planting technical training, increase of employment opportunities, enhancement of

development capacity and provision of cost compensation.

Analysis of Social Gender

The educational level of women in villages all the year round is mainly junior

high school level. According to survey data: 37.4% of them have primary school and

below primary school diploma; 50.1% of them have junior high school diploma;

12.5% of them have senior high school/technical secondary school/vocational school

and higher diploma. Farming women are mainly middle and old aged women.

According to survey data: Average age of farming women in demonstration areas is

48 years old, and the maximum age is 87 years old while the minimum age is 17 years

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old.

The farming workers in villages are mainly women and middle and old aged

people. The women take up about 48% of total employees in the rural cooperatives.

The proportion of women participating in the decision-making and management of

rural cooperatives is low. There is a total of 189 management personnel, including 47

women, accounting for 25.0%. There is no woman in the management of 8 rural

cooperatives.

Needs of women for the Project: Increase job opportunities, provide labor

protection measures against high temperature, sunstroke, weeds and mosquitoes and

preventing inhalation of lime to lungs, and provide training of production skills such

as operation of agricultural machines. Classroom lecturing and site demonstration

shall be combined for relevant training. Enhancing participation capability of women.

Analysis of Ethnic Minorities

The project counties within the demonstration area where ethnic minorities live

include Jishou City, Huayuan County, Yongshun County, Cili County and Yongding

District. Total population of project villages is 49,441. including a total ethnic

minority population of 38,423, accounting for 77.7%. Among ethnic minorities, total

population of Tujia nationality is 28,277, accounting for 73.6%; total population of

Miao nationality is 10,146, accounting for 26.4%.

Analysis on the difference of Tujia nationality in the demonstration area. In

project villages, total population of Tujia nationality is 28,277, accounting for 57.2%

of the total population. According to the proportion of Tujia nationality in the

population of demonstration areas, 31 villages inhabited by Tujia people are divided

into three categories: project villages where population of Tujia nationality accounts

for less than 30% of population of demonstration areas; project villages where

population of Tujia nationality accounts for 30% - 50% of population of

demonstration areas; project villages where population of Tujia nationality accounts

for 50% and above of population of demonstration areas. According to the definition

of minorities of the World Bank, various categories of project villages are identified

through interview and other methods. It is concluded: Local Tujia people’s customs

and habits are substantially consistent with Han nationality. In addition to Spring

Festival, Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival and other traditional festivals as

Han nationality, there are “going to the last fair before spring festival”, “the 3rd day of

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the Third Lunar Month”, “the 8th day of the Fourth Lunar Month”, “the 6th day of the

Sixth Lunar Month” and “the 7th day of the Seventh Lunar Month” and other local

ethnic festivals. Local residents see no difference with Han in terms of language,

planting habit, customs and habits. Language: Since the Tujia nationality lives

together with Han nationality in demonstration area for a long time, people with Tujia

nationality have begun to use Chinese quite early; Religious belief: In the

demonstration area, Tujia nationality believes in Taoism and pays tribute to the

ancestors. Tujia nationality believe in many gods, and their religious beliefs include

natural worship. Land, rocks, mountains, rivers, and water are all objects of worship.

Almost every household in Tujia nationality worships the ancestral shrine in the hall

house. The festivals of the Tujia nationality in demonstration area mainly include

dragon-boat racing and “the 6th day of the Sixth Lunar Month”. The Tujia nationality

pays great attention to traditional festivals especially the Spring Festival which is the

most ceremonious. Local customs: Before marriage of women of Tujia nationality in

the demonstration area, there is a custom of “crying marriage”. Before marriage, if a

girl cannot practice this custom, she will be discriminated and ridiculed. Currently,

this custom has already been gradually faded. Mode of production: Mainly planting

rice. During the busy farming season, wheat is cut and seedlings are planted, and grain

is sown and fields are raised. For families with a shortage of labor force, everyone

will take the initiative to help each other. The host family only needs to provide food.

This custom of helping each other has become a custom through long time usage for

thousands of years.

In project villages, total population of Miao nationality is 10,146, accounting for

20.5%. According to the proportion of Miao nationality in the population of

demonstration areas, 24 villages inhabited by Miao people are divided into two

categories: project villages where population of Miao people accounts for less than

50% of population of demonstration areas; project villages where population of Miao

people accounts for 50% and above of population of demonstration areas. According

to the definition of minorities of the World Bank, various categories of project villages

are identified through interview and other methods. Local Miao people’s customs and

habits are substantially consistent with Han nationality. In addition to Spring Festival,

Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival and other traditional festivals as Han

nationality, there are “going to the last fair before spring festival”, “the 3rd day of the

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Third Lunar Month”, “the 8th day of the Fourth Lunar Month”, “the 6th day of the

Sixth Lunar Month” and “the 7th day of the Seventh Lunar Month” and other local

ethnic festivals. Local residents see no difference with Han in terms of language,

planting habit, customs and habits. Miao people in Demonstration Areas does not

have its unique or other recognized cultural features, living customs or local customs;

the cultural, economic, social and political organization has no difference from that of

mainstream races; the religious, sacrificing and totem worship activities do not have

obvious difference from the mainstream society. Management mode of villages

inhabited by Miao people in demonstration areas is substantially consistent with that

of most rural areas in China, i.e. the combination of township government and village

governance. Language used in daily communication of Miao people in demonstration

areas is local dialect, and characters used in daily life are Chinese characters. Lands of

Miao people in demonstration areas are owned by the collective; the management

mode of contract responsibility system based on the household with remuneration

linked to output is adopted.

Therefore, through in-depth investigation and analysis on Miao people and Tujia

people in demonstration areas, considering that Miao people and Tujia people in

demonstration areas have a high degree of integration, which does not conform to the

World Bank’s definition of IP, the World Bank’s IP policy is not applicable and there

is no need to prepare ethnic minority development plan.

Social Impact and Risks

The assessment team considers that positive influence of Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project is:

Short-term positive influence is mainly reflected in: (1) Raise awareness of

stakeholders in producing safety products by project promotion. (2) Through the

training of the project, the farmer households’ skills in production safety products can

be enhanced. (3) Through public participation, consensus on the agricultural land

heavy metal pollution control will be achieved. (4) Improve infrastructure and create

conditions for agricultural production. (5) The environmental management and the

agricultural environment monitoring provide technical supports for agricultural

product quality management. (6) The risk resistance capacity of the farmer

households and the product competitiveness are improved by cultivating farmers’

specialized cooperatives.

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Medium and long-term positive influence is mainly reflected in: (1) Significant

ecological benefits. The heavy metal pollution of farmland has been administered in

the Project through some measures including source control, dynamic monitoring and

soil repair to a certain extent, thus benefiting improvement of ecological environment;

(2) Considerable economic benefits: The heavy metal pollution administration of

farmland in the Project can realize improvement of selling prices of agricultural

products, lowering of agricultural production cost, improvement of land utilization

efficiency and improvement of added value of agricultural products, which benefits

the improvement of farmers’ production and living standards; (3) Obvious social

benefits: The implementation of the Project benefits return of migrant workers. In

particular, it creates more jobs for women. It benefits poverty alleviation of low

income people and formulation of farmland pollution administration model.

The social assessment team thinks that the social risks of Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project are mainly reflected in the

followings:

Social risks of crop restructuring. The project does not involve land acquisition

and demolition, and does not trigger the involuntary resettlement policy of the World

Bank; therefore, there is no need to prepare the resettlement plan. Replanting crops in

heavily polluted areas of demonstration areas may bring the following social risks (1)

Some farmers do not cooperate. Planting other crops requires change of planting

habits and techniques. Although the project management offices and the project team

have already carried out in-depth investigation and analysis, there may still be some

farmers who are not willing cooperate in the process. (2) The issue of distribution and

management of subsidies for change of cropping system. Consensus has been reached

on subsidy standards, but more farmers are worried about the transparency of the

subsidy. (3) Labor supply problem. At present, many villages are “empty villages”

because young and middle-aged laborers are all working outside. Planting of fruits

and seedlings requires more laborers, which may face the problem of insufficient

labor.

Economic risks: Economic risks are mainly reflected in three aspects: (1) Social

risks resulting from land remediation due to preservation of original planting habits.

The first category is risk of marketing. Rice is replanted to low-cadmium varieties,

and thus quality of rice grain will be affected to some extent, which means that

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existing marketing channels and methods may be affected. The second category refers

to risk of failure of food to reach standard. During the period of administration, some

food may not completely reach the standard, which may influence food selling price.

The third category is the risk of output reduction. Replanting low-cadmium varieties

will increase the risk of rice blast and may further lead to reduction of output.

According to survey data: the top concern for farmer households is the reduction of

actual income of farmer households in short term (78.4%), followed by increase of

agricultural production labor amount (33.3%) as well as marketing risk incurred by

replanting varieties (31.2%). (2) Social risks from farmland restructuring: First, the

risk of cost benefit of replanted crops. Second, the risk of marketing. It is required to

establish new sales channels for replanted fruit trees, vegetables and cotton, so as to

result in sales risk. Third, the risk of management. Crop replanting will not only

implement new requirements on technical management of replanted crops but also

require project villages to establish fair, transparent and standardized management

procedures. (3) Social risks from adjustment of cropping system. Changes in the

planting pattern may increase the input of labor force. If the input cannot be

reasonably subsidized, the net income will be reduced. According to survey data: in

the process of restructuring, the top concern for farmer households is the reduction of

actual income in the same year (51.4%), followed by unmarketable replanted crops

(38.5%).

Public misunderstanding risks: Public misunderstanding risks are mainly

classified into four types: The first category is the risk of improper attribution. The

existing pollution condition is resulted from multiple aspects. Administration of soil

pollution of farmland before the launch of administration of other pollution may cause

the local residents to attribute all problems to heavy metal pollution so as to put

forward relevant claims. The second category is the risk of exaggeration of heavy

metal pollution. Government departments leading the launch of farmland heavy metal

pollution administration in demonstration area can easily attach the label of heavy

metal standard-surpassing in all agricultural products in demonstration area. The third

category is the risk of resident’s environmental protection awareness. The main

stakeholder groups have different orientations in their roles played in environmental

pollution and environmental protection. They neither think that they shall take

responsibility for surrounding environmental pollution nor believe that they are one of

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subjects involved in environmental governance.

Risk of vulnerability of disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and low

income people To-be-included project areas will involve 11,391 people just out of

poverty including 46,594 left-behind elderly people, 7,336 people with disabilities and

9,341 left-behind women and 31 project villages in the five project counties and cities

at Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi Prefecture where Tujia and Miao dominate, among which

11 project villages have more Miao people and 20 project villages have more Tujia

people. Miao people in the eleven project villages of three project counties namely

Huayuan County, Yongshun County and Jishou City amount to above 30%. To reduce

the vulnerability of these disadvantaged groups, this Project will take powerful

measures to have them participate in and benefiting from the project on an equal

basis.

Risk of land transfer. There are mainly three types: Firstly, it is a blind pursuit of

high land transfer rate without consideration of the local natural conditions and

realities in development and without any respect to the intentions and autonomous

rights of farmers; Secondly it is a lack of an exit mechanism in contractual rights of

land, which can hardly protect the farmer’s benefits and will affect the grain

production safety. For example, non-standard transfer contracts prevent the farmers’

benefits from being guaranteed. Thirdly it is a transfer without title affirmation due to

the delay in granting a certificate for land title affirmation and registration, which can

easily cause disputes over land.

9.2 Suggestions

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the “Safety and Quality

Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products”, the following

supporting measures is recommended:

To ensure a smooth implementation of “Safety and Quality Improvement Project

for Producing Area of Agricultural Products” in the to-be-included demonstration

area, it is necessary to follow the supporting policies as below: (1) to strengthen

farmer’s participation in trainings, form a farmland governance association and

establish a full participation and grievance mechanism to ensure in-depth participation

and extensive consultation of farmer households during the implementation of the

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project and resolve the social risks of change of cropping system in heavily polluted

areas; (2) to work out a basic compensation package and a subsidy scheme to ensure

farmers’ income increase and avoid or reduce to the maximum extent the negative

effects on farmers caused by the governance of polluted farmlands; (3) to enhance the

publicity and training and the guidance of public opinions and mitigate the risks of

public opinions during the governance; (4) to observe the original RPF and

incorporate the measures and plans for helping the disadvantaged group. RPF has

been prepared during the social evaluation before the official implementation of this

Project. This Project is an expansion or addition of demonstration areas based on the

original project. Therefore, the implementation plan and the schemes are consistent

with the original implementation plan and corresponding RPF and protection plans for

vulnerable groups can also be extended to the new implementation. Remember to

make public the resettlement policy framework in the newly-added demonstration

area, print and distribute publicity materials and finalize the implementation.

In addition, the Social Assessment found problems when monitoring the original

project including incomplete pre-project work, slow implementation and

inconspicuous effects of project driven employment. To better give play to the

positive effects of the project and avoid repeated problems in the to-be-included

demonstration areas, the Social Assessment Team also proposes to optimize the new-

added project design:

(1) Optimize the pre-project implementation scheme. Conduct in-depth site

survey and intensive monitoring and risk rating in the demonstration area and

optimize, adjust and draft implementation plan, procurement plan, and training plan

on a yearly basis for the Project.

(2) Enhance the implementation and monitoring of agronomic measures.

Based on the sample testing data from the previous year and focusing on farming

seasons, design and optimize the implementation plan for agronomic measures for the

next year.

(3) Speed up the construction and management of field works and push

forward the employment of farmer households. Following the procedures of the

World Bank, push forward the project counties and cities to, during rice harvest and

fallow stage, complete project design, financial review, etc. as early as possible, finish

tender work and accelerate the completion of outstanding engineering works that are

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delayed due to various objective reasons despite of the completion of bidding work.

(4) Continue to strengthen the management of training for farmers. Push

forward third parties to act upon the training responsibilities and check the trainings in

terms of contents, time schedule, trainers, effects, etc., fulfill the annual trainings to

farmers and project management staff in a timely manner, increase farmers’ planting

techniques and improve the skills of project management staff.

(5) Push forward and promote the guidance of the project for farmland

cooperative economy. It is recommended to promote the farmland cooperative

economy by means of land lease, leaseback and contract to farmers, contribution of

land as shares, company + rural household, company with base, etc., such as

encouraging the establishment of shareholding corporation for farming and business

operation and encouraging the development of characteristic farms on the heavy metal

polluted farmlands to promote large-scale operation in agriculture and farmer’s

employment.

In the meantime, the PMO will also need to continue the leading and

implementing mechanisms for COVID-19 epidemic or other infectious disease in

project areas for planning epidemic prevention work and handling with any

emergency preparedness to have an effective control over the COVID-19 epidemic

and other infectious diseases.

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10. Social Action Plan of the Project

10.1 Logical Framework

As for casual loop diagram involving problems existing in polluted villages of

Hunan Province, causes of formation and social impact as well as functions of project

activities, negative influence and consultation and discussion results of problems and

countermeasures, the consulting experts adopt “Target-oriented Project Planning

Method” to draft Social Action Plan of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural

Land Pollution Project.

The long-term objectives of the Project in social terms are recommended as:

Realize effective administration of polluted farmland in demonstration areas of

relevant counties and cities to enable farmer households especially low income people

and women to produce safe grains and increase income, get rid of poverty and

diseases resulting from polluted farmland, shorten the gap between the rich and the

poor among village groups and farmer households, increase agricultural risk

resistance, orderly participate in rural cooperatives and develop high-efficiency and

ecological agriculture.

The objectives during project planning stage are recommended as: Enable

polluted farmland in each town, village group and farmer household in demonstration

areas to produce safe grains.

Outputs in support of the objectives include:

1. The polluted farmland regions have basically adopted effective farmland

remediation technologies based on level of pollution;

2. The administration cost of polluted farmland is reasonably apportioned and the

farming benefits are significantly improved;

3. Monitoring equipment of polluted farmland has been basically purchased and

put in use and effective monitoring is in place;

4. Vulnerable groups of people, such as low income people, women and ethnic

households, have equally participated in planning, implementation and management

of the Project and fairly benefited from the Project.

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Project activities to launch in order to reach the desired results:

As for administration and management of polluted farmland:

(1) Apply remediation technologies in polluted farmland management, including

liming, flood irrigation, replanting of low-cadmium varieties, application of organic

fertilizers, planting of green manure, spraying of leaf surface controlling agent,

additional application of soil conditioner and deep ploughing technology. These

technologies involve cost subsidy though. Remediation technologies or replanting of

low-cadmium varieties also involve benefit loss subsidy.

(2) Guide farmers to adjust planting structure, such as replanting candy orange,

grapefruit, cotton, and other suitable crops. The adjustment of cropping structure

involves peovision of subsidies for production and associated risks.

(3) Repair irrigation works and facilities allocated in field.

(4) Establish monitoring equipment of polluted farmland and agricultural

products and cultivate relevant monitoring professionals.

(5) Establish long-term effective polluted farmland administration measures and

develop relevant management organization.

Social participation of pollution management:

(1) Offer training of concepts on social fairness and responsibility, priority to

poverty reduction as well as participatory project planning, implementation,

management, monitoring and evaluation approaches and methods to PMO, and

leaders and personnel of relevant implementing agencies;

(2) Offer training on concepts of equality including gender and ethnic equality,

participation and democratic rights and implementation methods to cadres of project

village groups and representatives of farmer households (including sufficient low-

income individuals and women);

(3) Strengthen farmers’ cooperatives in project towns and villages to ensure that

farmer households participate in the planning, design, implementation, engineering

quality supervision and acceptance of the Project in an equal manner;

(4) Establish interest appeal mechanism of farmland pollution management

between agricultural management department and environment protection department,

and project villages and farmers’ cooperatives.

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10.2 Consultation Consultation Framework

The participation and consultation consultation framework applicable for each

party during implementation of the Project shall comprise several aspects, including

organization structure, rules and regulations, actual operation and supervision

management:

10.2.1 Organization Structure

It is recommended to form farmland administration association as organization

structure of this framework in the community level. The farmland administration

boundary in this demonstration area is basically consistent with the boundary of

administrative village. Therefore, the farmland control association (hereinafter

referred to as “the Association”) is recommended to be formed with administrative

village as unit. It shall be classified into 4 levels, namely, farmland control

association, villager representative assembly, village congress and villagers

supervision group.

The villagers supervision group shall carry out supervision and management of

project construction and polluted farmland administration within scope of each group.

Farmer households, low-income households, other types of farmer households and

women shall elect their own representatives respectively to exercise democratic rights

such as participation, expression and supervision in the organization and operation of

villager congress. The ratio of women in total number of participants shall not be

lower than 30%.

Villager representative assembly or enlarged villager representative assembly is

the consultation consultation and deliberative organ responsible for formation,

operation or village-level development of the association. This organ is also

responsible for discussing and nominating candidates of executive committee

members, or village project management team and supervision team, forming

schemes and reaching consensus on planning, implementation and management of

articles of association and each rule of the association as well as the project in the

village level as well as use and maintenance of the project through discussion and

negotiation, and submitting the foregoing to villager congress or general villager

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assembly.

As the highest decision-making body, villager congress selects executive

committee members of the Association and members of the supervision team,

discusses and modifies articles of association, rules and project planning as well as

other schemes submitted by the representative assembly, listens the annual work

report, work plan of next year and farmland administration plan of executive

committee of the Association or project management team as well as reports of the

supervision team, and discusses, modifies and votes. Under the condition that

overwhelming majority of farmer households in the whole village trust and

authorization, the villager congress or enlarged villager congress may vicariously

exercise the authorities of villager general meeting.

As the executing agency of farmland administration association, the project

management team is responsible for organizing and implementing the Project,

executing rules and regulations regarding farmland pollution management and project

maintenance, implementing polluted farmland administration measures, and

coordinating with disputes and contradictions resulting from farmland pollution

administration. The number of members of executive committee of the Association

and project management team shall better not exceed 3-5 so as to reduce lost labor

subsidy expense. Since the Project is community oriented (i.e. all villagers are

required to participate in the Project and fairly benefit from the Project), the main

leaders in village Party branch and village committee (the two village committees for

short) responsible for the Project shall be allowed to directly enter the executive

committee and project management team and host the work without election so as to

avoid existence of two leading centers in one community; other members and

supervision team shall be elected and appointed by villager congress or representative

assembly or enlarged villager representative assembly. The members of supervision

team shall have no direct relationship with members of executive committee and

management team so as to make it convenient to give play to supervision function.

The responsibilities of the two village committees include: Analyze differences

of communities and farmer households with the help of PMO, organize each

representative to analyze farmland pollution control problems and countermeasures,

and participate in planning and design of project contents at village level; mobilize

and organize each villager group to elect members of enlarged villager representative

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assembly and prepare to establish and convene villager representative assembly,

enlarged villager representative assembly, villager congress, and all villager assembly;

after establishment of project management team, except main leaders responsible for

the Project entering and hosting the work, the two village committees shall

continuously support the work of the Association or the management team, coordinate

with superior-subordinate and internal-external relationships and carry out necessary

supervision instead of taking on the work of management team for replacement.

During negotiation, discussion of official business, organization of

implementation of the Project, operation and maintenance of the Project and

mediation of disputes, the functions of family elders, social elites, senior Party

members and veteran cadres shall be brought into play and the development and work

implementation of the Association or project management and supervision

organization shall be supported; also, young people shall be encouraged to take part in

development of the Association as well as planning, implementation and management

of the Project.

10.2.2 Rules and Regulations & Procedures

The villager congress shall formulate articles of association or relevant terms in

project management system to ensure the proportion of poverty-stricken village

groups, low-income households and women in villager representatives.

Certain rules and procedures shall be formulated for negotiation, discussion and

decision-making of the Association or the Project, including group discussion,

communication in assembly and reaching of consensus of groups such as low income

people and women so as to ensure that each low-income village group, low income

people and women may exercise rights such as right to know, participation,

expression, decision-making and supervision and make sure that they can participate

in development of the Association as well as planning, implementation, management,

monitoring and evaluation of the Project.

10.2.3 Actual Operation

The personnel of PMO shall adopt participatory methods and tools.

Help village group cadres to determine residence distribution of low-income

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residents and differences between villager groups and farmer households; join hands

with each representative especially representatives from low-income communities,

low-income households and women representatives to discuss and analyze problems,

causes and countermeasures in terms of administration of polluted farmland so as to

realize the necessity of implementation and management of the Project; analyze

negative influence of project contents as well as problems possibly taking place

during implementation of the Project, and determine measures to avoid or lighten such

negative influence; specifically plan and design project contents of each villager and

formulate project implementation plan based on actual circumstances and conditions

and people’s needs and wishes.

Assist the formation of village groups, village representative assembly or

enlarged villager representative assembly and ensure the implementation of relevant

terms in articles of association of the Association and project rules regarding low-

income village groups, low-income households, ethnic minority (if applicable) and

women representatives.

Help project management team and project village joint conference formulate

rules and regulations involving agriculture management, engineering management and

financial management of farmland pollution administration and prepare project

maintenance plan. Special attention shall be paid to safeguarding of rights of ethnic

minorities, poverty-stricken village groups, low-income households and women

including equal participation, consultation and benefiting; solve possible water

consumption contradictions and disputes of project management team or water

consumption household groups.

Strengthen the capacity building of leaders and relevant personnel of the

Association or project management team and improve their awareness of social

fairness, responsibility and priority to poverty reduction.

10.2.4 Supervision and Administration

PPMO shall establish a monitoring and evaluation mechanism, containing

internal supervision and external supervision. This mechanism is to supervise and

monitor execution of subsidy schemes of the Project and social benefits generated.

The internal monitoring is specifically implemented by Foreign Economic and

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Technical Cooperation Center, Agriculture Commission of Hunan Province. The

Center is required to establish a top-to-bottom internal supervision mechanism.

Foreign Economic and Technical Cooperation Center, Agriculture Commission of

Hunan Province or consulting experts hired shall check the implementation progress

of project subsidy scheme, form a progress report and submit the report to the World

Bank once every half a year. As for external monitoring, PMO entrusts an

independent agency and consulting expert through public bidding to carry out external

monitoring and evaluation of project subsidy scheme and social benefits of the whole

project twice a year until the planned objectives of the Project are fully realized. The

independent agency or individuals can be academic agency, NGO or independent

consulting company which shall have qualified and experienced professionals . Also,

the TOR of such agencies shall be accepted by the World Bank. The internal and

external supervision and assessment indexes of the Project include farmers’ income,

jobs and farmer households’ skills. See Table 10-1 for details.

Table 10-1 Social Assessment Index System of the ProjectSocial impacts of the

ProjectMonitoring and evaluationindices Acquisition of indexes

◇ Increase of farmers’ income

Farmer households’ pure income per person (before and after the Project)

Baseline surveyOngoing monitoring and evaluation of the ProjectComparison of data before and after soil administration

Cost of production input of every mu of crops on average (before and after the Project)Market prices of agricultural productsYield of every mu of agricultural products on averageIncome of special groups per capita

◇Increase of jobs Increase of number of agricultural technical personnel

Relevant statistics of government in each demonstration areaRecord of PMO

Number of farmers returning to their hometowns and developing agricultural productionTypes of agricultural industries newly increased after the ProjectIncrease of jobs of special groups

◇Increase of farmer households’ production skills

Personnel participating in technical training Record of PMO

Sessions of agricultural technical training

Learning of skills of special groups

◇ Improvement of crops’ safety and quality

Various heavy metals contained in crops Monitoring records of PMO

◇ Improve soil quality Heavy metal content of soil in farmland Monitoring records of PMO

◇Change of traditional awareness of groups benefiting from the Project and increase of their knowledge

Villagers’ environmental protection awareness Baseline survey (Questionnaire and interview)

Frequency of participation in activities such as training and visit

Records of PMO and community

Statistics of training contents

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Assessment of project training effectTechnical talents appearing in the Project Project village cases

◇Promotion of establishment of farmers’ cooperative organizations and community democracy

Number of rural cooperative organizations in project villages

Statistics of CPMO

Number of rural socialized organizations in project villages

Records of county and village

Degree of satisfaction of benefited groups for project managements

QuestionnaireInterview

Conditions of participation of villagers in community meetings and other affairsVillagers’ assessment of the Project

◇Capacity building of project management office

Construction of agricultural product producing place heavy metal pollution of soil monitoring system

Record of PMOSymposium

Construction of agricultural product producing place environmental quality early-warning systemConstruction of technical service system of the Project

10.3 Specific actions for social development

(1) Establish and improve the villager monitoring teams in the project villages,

establish management systems, management structures and supervision mechanisms,

reinforce the function and role of these monitoring teams, and inspire local residents

to participate. At the same time, these villagemonitoring teams are established to build

a mechanism and platform for equal dialogue between the PMOs and rural

households, where they can discuss about the common needs and differences, mitigate

the disputes between the PMOs and rural households and work out the direction and

target for development.

(3) Increase rural households’ participation. PMOs are recommended to change

the management mindset by hearing and considering the opinions and suggestions of

rural households in major decision-making, project implementation and project

management and establish a mechanism of participation for rural households to reflect

their rights to stay informed, and participate in terms of project implementation.

(4) Establish a normative management system to regulate farmers' conducts

through institutional powers and traditional moral codes. PMSs at all levels and

farmers are recommended to jointly establish management regulations, supervision

agreements, and compensation mechanisms through participatory discussions.

Institutional management and traditional moral codes are used to enhance the moral

literacy of farmers and refrain from their irrational behaviors.

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(5) Promote gender equality and women's empowerment. The Social assessment

suggests that woman members shall be no less than 30% and women participate in

meetings, trainings and management of farmers’ cooperatives.

(6) PMOs of all counties, cities and districts are responsible for implementation

and management of this Project.

10.4 Grievance Redress Mechanism

During preparation and implementation of the Project, in order to timely get to

know and solve the impacts and problems caused by the Project to affected people,

local communities, affected enterprises and other stakeholders, varied and effective

grievance redress mechanism shall be established in the Project. Such mechanism

specifically include the following procedures:

Stage 1: The affected people may express their dissatisfaction to the project

owner, or village committees/community neighborhood committees, or town

governments/sub-districts in form of oral or written appeal. The said project owners,

or village committees/community neighborhood committees, or town

governments/sub-districts shall preserve a written record of oral appeal and give clear

reply within two weeks.

Stage 2: If the affected people are still dissatisfied with the handling decisions of

stage 1, they may put forward appeal to relevant implementation and management

agencies such as PMO of the project county after receiving the decisions and relevant

agencies shall make decisions on handling of such matters within 2 weeks.

Stage 3: If the affected people are still dissatisfied with the decisions of stage 2,

they may put forward appeals to PPMO after receiving the decisions. Relevant agency

shall make decisions on handling of such matters within 2 weeks.

Stage 4: If the affected people are still dissatisfied with the decisions of stage 3,

they may put forward appeals to competent administrative authorities’ level by level

for arbitration according to the Administrative Procedure Law of the People’s

Republic of China.

Stage 5: If the affected people are still dissatisfied with the arbitration , after

receiving the arbitration result, they may appeal to the civil court according to the

civil procedure law.

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Contact details of the agencies receiving the complaints are shown in Table 10-2:

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Table 10-2 Contact details of the agencies receiving the complaints of project site

Project site Organization Contact person Contact telephoneXiangXi

PrefectureForeign Investment and Foreign

Aid Office Zhang Ye +86-15274308806

Zhongfang County

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Yang Wen +86-13517450920

Jishou City Foreign Investment and Foreign Aid Office Yang Jun +86-13762167240

Huayuan County

Foreign Investment and Foreign Aid Office Shi Junlin +86-13974377849

Yongding District

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Hu Wenling +86-13637440869

Cili County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Yang Hongquan +86-13974477800

Linwu County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Chen Xiangwu +86-13975595524

Yizhang County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Xiao Lisheng +86-13574541943

Qiyang County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Li Haiying +86-15367516667

Lengshuitan District

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Wen Jun +86-15807480337

Hengnan County

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Yin Xiangyang +86-13974721668

Hengyang County

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Liu Kangxing +86-13973415242

Baojing County Foreign Investment and Foreign Aid Office Li Qingxing +86-13974382626

Yongshun County

Foreign Investment and Foreign Aid Office

Chen Shengshuang +86-13787433288

Anhua County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Peng Xiumiao +86-13787376160

10.5 Prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic

Currently, Hunan is a low-risk area for COVID-19 but a risk of spreading in the

future still exists. There may be a risk of spreading COVID-19 among the laborers

and residents in the neighborhood during the project development and operation.

Governments at all levels in Hunan Province have taken strong measures to control

the spread of COVID-19 epidemic. Foreign Investment Project Management Office of

Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hunan Province has also taken overall

measures including:

• Establishing a leading group responding to the COVID-19 epidemic for the

purpose of arrangement of epidemic prevention and response to emergency

and management oversight any time;

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• Disseminating the epidemic prevention in an active manner, such as the

knowledge of epidemic prevention, preventive measures, etc., by distributing

epidemic prevention booklets to each employee and posting the guidelines by

ways of WeChat, QQ, in the workplace, etc.;

• Supplying the project workers with protective appliances, infrared

thermometer guns to measure the temperature ofemployees and guests;

• Conducting disinfection and sterilization.

• Including specific COVID-19-related measures in the contracts and

agreements of project implementation;

• Monitoring, supervising and reporting on health and safety related to

COVID-19 (COVID-19 Coordination Center) including the key duties and

the detailed reporting arrangements of the project supervision engineers and

major contractors;

• Raising safety awareness of workers and enhancing trainings to workers so as

to slow down the spread of COVID-19;

• Providing evaluation, assignment and treatment to patients and/or workers

infected with COVID-19;

• Establishing procedures and cultures of accident reporting and investigation

in the daily operation according to the Environmental and Social

Commitment Plan.

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Appendix 1: Social Assessment Questionnaire of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project with World Bank LoanDear friends,

Hello! In order to control the heavy metal pollution in agricultural product producing area,

Agricultural Commission of Hunan Province intends to implement the “Hunan Integrated

Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project”. This survey will not involve personal

identification information, so please answer them truthfully. Thank you for your support for the

project! Please fill in the details on the line, draw “” on the corresponding option.

Research Group on the Social Assessment of

Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project

December 2020

A. Basic InformationA1. Your gender:

① Male ② Female

A2. You are years old. (Please fill in the specific figure on the line) A3. Your education degree is:

①Primary school and below ②Junior high school

③Senior high school/technical secondary school/vocational school ④University and above

A4. Your marital status is:①Unmarried ②Married ③Divorced ④Remarried after divorce

A5. Are your family a poverty-stricken family established the files? ① Yes ② No

A6. Are there any disabled people in your family? ① Yes ② No

A7. Your current professional status is:①Full-time worker ②Part-time farming ③Full-time farming ④Others

A8. Your current identity is:①General retail ②Peasant entrepreneur ③Professional investor ④Work in large investor or

rural cooperatives ⑤Others

A9. In 2019, your average monthly income is yuan? (Please fill in the specific figure on the line)A10. How many people are there in your family? Person. (Please fill in the specific figure on the line)

A11. In 2019, your total household income was yuan; non-agricultural income was

yuan, agricultural income (including farmland rent) was yuan; gross income

(including cost) from paddy field planting was yuan, and the cost was yuan.

A12. In 2019, your total household expenditure last year was yuan; agricultural expenditure was yuan; living expenses was yuan; medical expenditure was yuan; education expenditure was yuan; endowment expenditure was yuan; other expenditures were yuan.A13. Within the confines of your village, you think that your family economic status is:

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①Very good ②Good ③General ④Poor ⑤Extremely poor

A14. What is the main industry in your village (community)?①Mainly agriculture ②Mainly non-agriculture

③Agriculture and non-agriculture are basically equivalent ④Unclear

B. Awareness and Support WillingnessB1. The farmland heavy metal (such as cadmium, nickel and arsenic etc) pollution situation in your location is:

① Very serious ② Relatively serious ③ General ④ Not very serious ⑤ No pollution

B2. The farmland heavy metal pollution situation in your location has lasted for:① 1-2 years ② 3-5 years ③ 5-10 years ④ Above 10 years ⑤ Unclear

B3. The development trend of farmland heavy metal pollution phenomenon in your location is: ① More and more serious ② Better and better ③ Maintain the status quo ④ Unclear

B4. The impact of farmland heavy metal pollution on the local area is:

a. The impact of farmland

pollution on the health of

local people

①Very great②Relatively

great③General

④Relatively

small⑤No impact

b. The impact of farmland

pollution on the yield of

local agricultural products

①Very great②Relatively

great③General

④Relatively

small⑤No impact

c. The impact of farmland

pollution on the quality of

local agricultural products

①Very great②Relatively

great③General

④Relatively

small⑤No impact

d. The impact of farmland

pollution on the selling

price of local agricultural

products

①Very great②Relatively

great③General

④Relatively

small⑤No impact

B5. Do you understand the “Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project”?

①Completely do not understand ②Not too understand

③Understand a little ④Relatively understand ⑤Very understand

B6. Generally speaking, do you think the “Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project” will be favorable to the development of local economy and society or not:

①Very favorable ②Relatively favorable General ④ Not too favorable ⑤Very unfavorable

B7. Generally speaking, your attitude to local implementation of the “Safety and Quality Improvement Project for Producing Area of Agricultural Products” is:

①Very supportive ②Relatively supportive ③General

④Not too supportive ⑤Strongly opposed

C. Participating willingness and expectations

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C1. Your paddy fields are mu; paddy fields currently cultivated are mu; paddy fields

rented out are mu; paddy fields rented in are mu?C2. At present, crops planted in your farmland all year round are:

①One-season paddy ②Double cropping rice ③Rice+ rape ④Rice+ tobacco ⑤Others (Please specify)

C3. According to demand of the project, if you are required to adjust farmland planting pattern (e.g. Change “one-season paddy” to “rice+ rape”), are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC4. According to governance demand of the project, if you are required to adjust rice planting pattern, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC5. According to governance demand of the project, if you are required to spray lime in the farmland and spray leaf surface controlling agent (Si), are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC6. According to governance demand of the project, if you are required to adopt irrigating with clean water in the farmland, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC7. According to demand of the project, if you are required to apply organic fertilizer or plant green manure and not to apply chemical fertilizer any more, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC8. According to demand of the project, if appropriate transformation and upgrading shall be made to the irrigation infrastructure of local farmland, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC9. According to demand of the project, if heavy metal contaminated straw treatment facilities shall be newly built in heavy metal contaminated area of farmland, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC10. According to demand of the project, if farm tracks shall be newly built or reconstruct, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC11. If the project construction occupies the farmland, you think that the subsidy standard shall be yuan/mu.C12. According to demand of the project, if land transfer and contiguous development shall be conducted in a systematic way, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC13. If land transfer shall be conducted, which of the following land transfer ways do you prefer to choose?

① Renting (e.g.rent your farmland to project party, large grower or other agricultural operating entities, and you shall obtain rent)

② Buying shares (e.g.fix a price for operating right of your farmland to buy shares, set up a joint stock company, and you obtain profits according to shares.)

③ Shares + cooperation (Set up a cooperative by taking land operating right as shares, and you

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obtain income according to land minimum guarantee and benefit bonus) ④ Others (Please specify)

C14. According to demand of the project, the project shall hire some farmers to participate in the construction of local project, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC15. According to demand of the project, the project shall conduct technical training on participating farmers, are you willing to do so?

① Very willing ② Relatively willing ③ General ④ Not too willing ⑤ Very unwillingC16. If you are willing to participate in, in your opinion, the technical training subsidy shall not be less than yuan/person/day. (Please fill in the specific figure on the line)

D. Replantation Management(Areas without a crop switching plan will be directly relocated to E.

Farmland governance for filling)D1. According to demand of the project, if you are required to replant other other crops, which crops are you willing to replant?

①candy orange, navel orange, plums, grapes, pitaya ② seedlings, flowers, mulberry

③ Chinese mugwort ④ sorghum, cotton, corn ⑤ lotus root, lotus leaf ⑥Others

D2. According to demand of the project, if you are required to replant other crops, what are you worried about?

① Higher input costs for crop conversion ② Product sales of replanted crops

③ Technical requirements for replanting crops ④Subsidy management for replanting crops

⑤ Others

D3. If land transfer shall be conducted, which of the following land transfer ways do you prefer to choose?

① Renting ② Buying shares ③ Shares + cooperation ④ Others (Please specify)

D4. In your opinion, how much subsidies you receive to replant if your lands are required to be replanted the following cash crops:

D4a.The proposed subsidy of candy orange, navel orange, plum, grape or pitaya is yuan/mu

for years.

D4b. The proposed subsidy of flowers, plants and seedlings or mulberry is yuan/mu for years.

D4c. The proposed subsidy of Chinese mugwort is yuan/mu for years.

D4d. The proposed subsidy of sorghum, cotton or corn is yuan/mu for years.

D1e. The proposed subsidy of lotus root or lotus leaf is yuan/mu for years.

D5. Which of the following ways do you think should be adopted in compensation period?① Once a year ② Once half a year ③ Once a quarter ④ One-time subsidy

D6.Which institution do you think should implement the compensation？① Provincial PMO ② County PMO

③ Village-level PMO ④ Special compensation management group

D7. Which kind of supervision way do you think should be adopted during compensation?① Supervised by provincial PMO ② Supervised by County PMO

③ Supervised by Village project implementation group

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④ Supervised by special compensation supervision group

⑤ Supervised by specialized third party organizations

⑥ Cooperatively supervised by departments at all levels

D8. Who do you think of should participate in the compensation supervision group: (Multiple choices)

① Leaders of World Bank project ② Members of provincial project group

③ Members of county project group ④ Town cadres ⑤ Members of village project group

⑥ Villager ⑦ Others

D9. What is the most concerned about during compensation?① Low compensation standard ② Low practical operability of compensation method

③Withholding actions during compensation

④ Insufficient transparency during compensation ⑥ Inconsistent policies

⑦ Imperfect compensation mechanism ⑧ Others

E. Farmland Governance and ManagementE1. Does your family participate in the rural cooperative currently? ①Yes ② NoE2. According to your knowledge, the villagers in the village have not joined the rural cooperatives due to (Multiple choices):① Insufficient funds ② Poor farming techniques ③ Excluded by cooperative members ④ Fields are just for the full stomach ⑤ Fear of being looked down on ⑥ Be not willing to risk ⑦ Insufficient labor force ⑧ Others E3. What the management organizations do you think that need to be established in the village to carry out the management of polluted farmland?① The farmland control association ② The members of the project management group ③ supervision and management group of the project ④ Technical group of the project E4. Which of the following persons do you think shall be included in your village's farmland governance committee of “Management Project of Polluted Farmland” (Multiple choices)?

①Poverty-stricken households ②Village cadres ③Women④Peasant households ⑤ Others

E5. In the implementation process of the project, if your wishes and expectations are different from or conflict with the project, what approach do you hope to resolve the differences or disputes between them? (Multiple choices)

① Reflect to village cadres ② Reflect to government ③ Ask project party for solution ④ Quit, do not cooperate with project party any more⑤ Find a group of people to solve with force ⑥ Others

E6. After the completion of the project, what positive impact do you think it will have on the local area? (Multiple choices)

① Ensuring the quality and safety of agricultural products ② Increasing the awareness of residents in the treatment of farmland pollution ③Improved rural infrastructure ④ Contaminated farmland is effectively managed and used rationally ⑤ Conducive to large-scale operations and creating rural brands ⑥ Increasing the employment opportunities of local farmers ⑦ Conducive to increasing the income of local farmers ⑧ Others (Please specify on the line)

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E7. Does the project construction pose the following negative effects on your production and life? (Multiple choices)

① Short-term reduction in real income of farmers ② Increasing in agricultural production labor ③ The sales of crop products that have been replanted could not go out ④ The construction has destroyed the original vegetation on the ground and caused soil erosion. ⑤ Construction has caused road dust, automobile exhaust, drip oil and other environmental pollution ⑥ Others

F. Concern and project awareness for Environmental(please evaluate the following points according to your feelings)

F1. The current environmental pollution is on the verge of the limit that the Earth could

bear

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F2. Human destruction of nature often results in catastrophic consequences

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F3. Humans are abusing and destroying the environment

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F4. Animals and plants have the same rights to survival as humans

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F5. The nature can fully rely on its own power to respond to the impacts of the modern

industrial society

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F6. Regardless of special powers, humans are still dominated by natural laws

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F7. It is an overstatement that humans are facing an "environmental crisis"

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F8. Space and resources on the earth are limited

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F9. The balance of the nature is very fragile to the extent of being disrupted very easily

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

F10. If everything goes on as it is, we will soon suffer a severe environmental disaster

(1) Very agree (2) relatively agree (3) not clear (4) not quite agree (5) very disagree

The investigation is over. Thank you again for your participation and support! Wish you all the best!

Appendix 2: Questionnaires of ethnic minorities1.Your nationality is:

① Tujia ② Bai ③ Dong ④ Yao ⑤ Miao ⑥ Others 2.Does your nationality have its own language?

① Yes ② No

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2a. What is the language of your nationality? Please specify. 2b. Can you speak your own language?

① Entirely ② A little ③ Absolutely not2c. The language you used to use in daily life is:

① Chinese ② Your own language3.Does your nationality have characters？ ① Yes ② No

3a. What is your own characters? Please specify. 3b. The character you used to use in daily life is:

① Chinese character ②Your own character4.What is your national costume? Please specify.

4a. Do you wear national costume? ① Often ② Occasionally ③ Only for ethnic customs and activities ④ Never5.What is the worship of the totem of your nationality? Please specify. 6.What is the most important festival of your nationality? Please specify. 7.What are taboos of your nationality? Please specify. 8.Does your nationality have clan chiefs (castellans)? ① Yes ② No9.How do you resolve the disputes with others?

① Ask village cadres for help. ② Settle the matters privately.③ Ask the elderly to mediate. ④ Others

10.Does your nationality have some taboos about land?① Yes ② No

11.Do you interact with people from other nationalities in daily life?① Often ② Occasionally ③ Never

12.Does there are any intermarriage with other nationalities in your family?① Yes ② No

13.Do you feel that you are a minority in daily life?① Often ② Occasionally ③ Never

14.Were you discriminated because of your ethnic identity?① Often ② Occasionally ③ Never

15.In your opinion, the differences between you and Han people in life are:① Very obvious ② Obvious ③Not obvious ④Small ⑤No difference

16.In your opinion, the differences between you and Han people in the customs and habits are:① Very obvious ② Obvious ③Not obvious ④Small ⑤No difference

17. Discrepancy you think you have between you and Han people in terms of language:① Very obvious ② Obvious ③Not obvious ④Small ⑤No difference

18.In your opinion, the differences between you and Han people in planting crops are:① Very obvious ② Obvious ③Not obvious ④Small ⑤No difference

Thank you for your support! This is the end of the questionnaire.

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Appendix 3: (Village) Cadre Interview (Symposium) Outline of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project

I.Basic information of the project village (county)

1.Population (number, gender, nationality, belief, occupation, and number and ratios of

agricultural population and non-agricultural population)

2.Natural resources (land, forest, mineral products, etc.) owned by village (county) and

utilization of such resources

3.Economic income of village (county), main sources and their ratios and ranking in

township

4.Composition of livelihood mode (agriculture, non-agriculture and animal husbandry) and

development conditions

5.Economic development level of village (county): What is the income per capita of the

village? How about the poverty condition? What is the economic development ranking? How

about the development condition of collective economy?

6.History and planning of development of village (county)

7.Problems and status quo of infrastructure of village (county)

8.Conditions of ecological environment and influence on local people’s lives

9.Composition and operation conditions of formal agencies and informal organizations of

village (county)

10.Experience of similar projects implemented in village (county)

II.Ethnic Minorities (applicable for villages with relatively abundant ethnic minorities; this

part can be omitted if the villages have no ethnic minorities or the ratio of ethnic minorities is

small)

1.Types, population, ratios and residential places of ethnic minorities of village (county)

2.Sources of ethnic minorities

3.Informal social organizations of ethnic minorities

4.Main natural resources owned by ethnic minorities as well as convention and common law

of environmental protection

5.Conditions of economic development, production and consumption of ethnic minorities

6.Beliefs of ethnic minorities

7.Government aid for ethnic minorities

8.Association conditions among different nationalities (intermarriage)

III.Opinions on the project

1.What kind of benefits will the implementation of the Project bring to the village (county)

and who would benefit most from the Project in your opinion?

2. What kind of difficulties encounters during implementation of the Project in your opinion?

3. Will the agricultural pollution producing place project have an impact on the activities

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already locally launched. What kind of impact will be caused if any?

4. Does the village (county) have sufficient labor to participate in agricultural pollution

producing place administration project?

5. What factors would influence implementation of the Project in your opinion (economy,

management, technology and finance)?

6. What are the negative influences of the Project on the local region (society, culture,

economy and environment”)?

7. What countermeasures can be adopted to mitigate the negative influences of the Project on

the local region?

8. Are women and ethnic minorities willing to participate in the Project?

(Note: This interview outline also applies to county-level group interview or cadre interview. The

questions of interview can be added or deleted according to specific conditions. The purpose of the

interview is to get to know the social, economic and cultural background information of the

Demonstration Areas as well as opinions of villagers and town cadres on the Project.)

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Appendix 4: (Village) Cadre Interview (Symposium) Outline of Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project

I.Interview Questions:

1.Do you know the Project? When do you know the Project? Where do you konw the

Project? What messages do you learn? What else do you want to know?

2.Is your villager is a rich village or a poor village compared with other villages in the

counties? What’s your opinion on the causes of poverty if you think that your village is a poor

village?

3.What about losses caused by pollution of agricultural producing places to your family and

village and how about the recovery work?

4.Are you for or against the Project? Please explain the reason if you are against the Project.

5.What kind of influence would be imposed on your family’s production and life after

implementation of the Project (positive or negative)?

6.What issues of the Project do you care about most? Please list the issues and sort them

according to degree of importance.

7.Who would benefit most from the Project?

8. What are your suggestions on the Project? (The suggestions shall be sorted according to

degree of reproject awareness .)

9.What kind of influence of construction of the Project will be imposed on your village’s

existing natural environment as well as its culture, historical heritage, religious belief and tourist

attractions?

10. What is the influence of construction of the Project on women’s production and lives and

what their requirements and suggestions on the Project (inquiries from the women only)?

11.What is the influence of construction of the Project on production method, lifestyle and

customs of your nationality and what about your suggestions (inquires from the ethnic minorities

only)?

II.Mapping:

1. Make daily life diagram and season activity diagram as per sex.

2. Make daily travel diagram and daily intercourse diagram as per sex.

(Note: This interview outline also applies to household interview. This interview outline is

launched on the basis of questionnaire survey.)

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