Combating Desertification through the Wine Industry in Hongsibu, Ningxia

Land desertification is a global environmental problem, leading to the deterioration of the ecological environment and is an issue that threatens humans. Hongsibu, located in Ningxia, northwest China, is a semi-desert area with the largest domestic single-site ecological resettlement area for povert...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liang Zhang, Zhilei Wang, Tingting Xue, Feifei Gao, Ruteng Wei, Ying Wang, Xing Han, Hua Li, Hua Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/10/5654
Description
Summary:Land desertification is a global environmental problem, leading to the deterioration of the ecological environment and is an issue that threatens humans. Hongsibu, located in Ningxia, northwest China, is a semi-desert area with the largest domestic single-site ecological resettlement area for poverty alleviation based on the wine industry. Here, we quantified the value of the ecosystem services of the wine industry in Hongsibu and used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensive benefits of the wine industry for resolving desertification. We found that winegrapes significantly increase vegetation cover, while significantly decreasing blowing sand and generating a total annual value of ecosystem services of 6.13× 10<sup>8</sup> RMB. The evaluation score of the comprehensive benefits is 81.85%, with grape growers and chateaus obtaining large economic benefits from the wine industry. In conclusion, the wine industry’s development not only enhances the economic level of grape growers but significantly resolves desertification in impoverished areas—thus alleviating poverty and land degradation, contributing to sustainable development. Therefore, this may be an effective strategy for sustainable development in other parts of the world.
ISSN:2071-1050