Shangdang District, Changzhi City, Shanxi——
Some high-standard farmland supporting facilities are “built but not used” (exposure)
Recently, reporters visited Beicheng Township, Shangdang District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province and found that some local high-standard farmland project problems have not been rectified in place, and supporting facilities are "built but not used."
In Xipo Village, Beicheng Township, some high-standard farmland is located on a hillside 1,000 meters above sea level on the southeast side of Lidu Park. The reporter saw that the only access road to the plot was a dirt road paved with coal gangue. The road was potholed and covered with weeds nearly as tall as a person, making it difficult to walk on foot, let alone large-scale farming machinery.
The public notice board for the 2021 high-standard farmland project in Shangdang District is erected on the north side of Xifeng Village, another village in Beicheng Township. The reporter saw that it stated that the total investment of the project was 18 million yuan, and it planned to implement four major projects: soil improvement, irrigation and drainage systems, field roads, and farmland power transmission and distribution.
The Shangdang District Government Office issued the "Investigation and Rectification Measures for High-Standard Farmland Problems in Shangdang District" in November 2024, proposing rectification plans in response to some problems reported by villagers. However, reporters visited and found that there are still many field roads in Xipo Village, Xifeng Village and other villages that have not reached the level that is passable by farming machinery.
In addition to field roads, villagers reported that most problems were concentrated in irrigation and drainage systems and farmland power transmission and distribution projects. Many villagers in Xipo Village reported that the land in the area was affected by the mining operations of Changzhi Jingfang Coal Industry as early as 2005, and the ground subsidence phenomenon occurred. It is a typical coal mining subsidence area, and the location of high-standard farmland here is inappropriate. In 2025, the No. 1 centralized control station in Xipo Village and more than 10 acres of surrounding farmland were soaked in water due to the collapse of the mining area. The power supply to the centralized control station was interrupted and the water outlet could not be used normally.
"Last year, water flooded the centralized control station and farmland (see picture, photographed by Zhang Chaoning). If the land continues to subside, even if the drip irrigation pipeline is re-layed, it may still be damaged due to stratigraphic changes. It is difficult to repair or not. Why should high-standard farmland be built in a geologically unstable subsidence area? Are geological conditions not considered?" Some villagers raised questions.
“There may have been problems with unscientific and unreasonable site selection before.” A relevant person in charge of the Changzhi Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau revealed, “The agricultural department does not know the specific conditions of the coal mine’s underground tunnels, and information sharing between departments is still being improved, such as how to establish a communication mechanism with the land and resources department.”
In response to the problem of damage to high-standard farmland caused by coal mining subsidence, the "Measures for Investigation and Rectification of High-standard Farmland Problems in Shangdang District" stipulates that the natural resources department will conduct research and identification of subsided land parcels, clarify coal mines and local responsible entities, and formulate land restoration plans to promote rectification. Since the beginning of this year, the Beicheng Township government has signed an agreement with the coal company involved to build a new power transmission and distribution control facility and conduct emergency maintenance through air-connection cables. Farmers can register and apply for a card at the village committee, and adopt the mode of inserting the card to draw water for irrigating the fields. However, the reporter checked on site and found that the voltage reading of the meter at the power distribution facility was zero. Why is the irrigation power supply system still idle after rectification?
Lin Bing, a high-standard farmland management and maintenance personnel in Xipo Village, introduced that there are 10 water wells in the village, and all of them can discharge water normally in the initial stage of construction. Currently, one well cannot be used due to geological changes caused by coal mining. Sui Linbing said that almost no one has contacted him to water his fields in the past two years.
In the high-standard farmland area of Xipo Village, Beicheng Township, the reporter saw that the gate of the No. 2 Irrigation Control Station was tightly closed, and the surrounding weeds were nearly as tall as a person. The water outlet that has been repaired and renovated has no problem with the water flowing out, but there are no supporting water pipelines laid in the fields, so there is water but no pipes.
"Last year there was a severe drought, but the water conservancy equipment built could not be used." Li Guangping, a villager in Xipo Village, told reporters that his family's 7 acres of farmland were included in the high-standard farmland area, but the supporting irrigation system has never been used since the project was completed. In the summer of 2025, the local area encountered a drought. After the corn grew to more than 30 centimeters, its growth stagnated and turned into "small old seedlings" that did not bear ears. Many plots experienced a significant reduction in yield or even no harvest.
"The laying of water pipelines in the fields needs to be done by farmers themselves, and the village is not responsible for unified construction." Sui Linbing said. But a villager from Xifeng Village revealed the reason behind this: The electricity cost for irrigating a single acre of farmland is about ten yuan, and farmers need to purchase and lay drip irrigation pipes by themselves, requiring an additional investment of nearly 300 yuan per acre. It is difficult for farmers who plant scattered crops to afford it. Only farmers who cultivate in the village cooperative occasionally use irrigation facilities.
Local villagers expressed their hope that the local agricultural and rural departments will verify the completion and acceptance of high-standard farmland one by one, and that all towns and villages will implement local management and protection responsibilities, simultaneously optimize the irrigation supporting model, reduce farmers’ usage costs, and make the high-standard farmland supporting facilities constructed truly usable.
(Our reporter Ma Ruishan, People’s Daily)
