Profile - Southwest China

The IPNI regional office for southwest China is located in Chengdu, Sichuan province. It is staffed by Dr. Shihua Tu and Ms. Ling Xie whose responsibilities include IPNI China Program activities in the autonomous city of Chongqing and the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan. Program activities of the IPNI Chengdu Office are coordinated with those of the other two IPNI offices (Beijing Office -headquarters of China Program and Wuhan Office) in China. Program focus is on the use of scientific information and educational materials on fertilizers to improve their management in a balanced, economically efficient and environmentally sound manner. Most of this area is mountainous, dotted by small scale lowland farms surrounded by hillside farming. This region is also the source of the headwaters of the mighty Yangtze river. Therefore, emphasizing good soil management practices such as balanced fertilization and alley cropping to reduce soil erosion and water runoff with its sequential downstream flooding to expand the life of Three Gorge Dam and keep the water free from eutrophication, receives special attention from the Chengdu Office. In the far southern three provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, they are major basis for tropical and subtropical fruits such as banana, pineapple, mango, lichee, citrus, etc. in China. In tandem regular research and educational projects on balanced fertilizer use are conducted with grain, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables and other crops.