Baotou city – in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region – issued a total of 1.6 billion yuan ($247 million) in funds in order to return farmland to forests and grasslands during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), according to the city's finance bureau.

During that time, some 1.32 million mu (87,820 hectares) of farmland was returned to forests and 204,000 mu was returned to grasslands.

With the implementation of the projects, Baotou has reportedly made continued improvements in terms of areas given over to land greening, soil erosion control, water conservation and land desertification prevention and control.

It is understood that this has effectively improved the rural ecology and environment and promoted a so-called virtuous cycle in the ecosystem.

In Guyang county in Baotou, after the latest round of reversion of farmland to forests is complete, the county's forest coverage rate will reach an estimated 28 percent, further strengthening the environmental barrier at the northern foot of the Yinshan Mountains.

At the same time, the project is said to have played an important role in regional poverty alleviation.

With the grants and subsidies given in compensation for the handing over of the farmland, farmers – especially poor ones – can on one hand obtain a stable income. On the other hand, rural laborers can also participate in the afforestation process, to obtain employment.