Agriculture and water in Shunyi District, Beijing; results of a rapid diagnostic appraisal

Land use and agriculture in Shunyi District were studied in a Rapid Diagnostic Appraisal (RDA) held November 2003 in the frame of the project `Resource Management Options in the Greater Beijing Area`. Officials of governmental institutions in Shunyi were interviewed and during three days, a team of nine Chinese and three Dutch researchers visited three townships in Shunyi District and interviewed local leaders and farmers on farm structures, farming systems, water-related issues and future developments. In addition, documentation and statistics about land use development and agriculture in Shunyi have been collected. The results of this rapid diagnosis have been presented during a feedback meeting with a major part of the interviewed officials and farmers. This report presents the results of the RDA. After a general description of land and water use developments in Shunyi, the major characteristics of agriculture are described. Subsequently, the main characteristics of the visited townships and farms are summarized. More detailed information about the approach and organisation of the RDA can be found in Appendix 2 of this report