In recent years, soil erosion has become a serious problem in the southern part of China, as farmers open up the wasteland for fruit trees and other short season crops on sloping and hilly land, without considering the consequences. Although the government has suggested some measures to reduce soil loss and water erosion, such as growing grasses, it is difficult for farmers to adopt these practices. This is because pressure to produce food is increasing and the farmer cannot make a profit simply from growing grass. In 1998, the Chinese government declared that the development of ruminants would be one of the more important tasks in agricultural development (Huang and Liu 1999). Therefore, combining growing of grass as a means of controlling erosion and as a feed for ruminants may be a good solution for addressing China's growing population pressure as well as combating soil loss.
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