The research centers for the protection of dark soil and reclamation of saline-alkaline land were officially put into operation in Hinggan League of North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region on April 14.

These two centers aim to empower modern agricultural and pastoral development with technology in order to create new quality productive forces.

These centers represent a strategic cooperation project between Hinggan League, the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Agro-Environmental Protection Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, and Inner Mongolia Agricultural University.

Hinggan League currently possesses 23.02 million mu (1.53 million hectares) of arable land, including 9.01 million mu of dark soil arable land and over 100,000 mu of saline-alkaline land, making it an important national base for agricultural and livestock product production.

The two centers will integrate the research resources of research institutes and universities with Hinggan League’s advantageous resources, such as dark soil.

They will focus on systematically addressing issues such as soil erosion, soil fertility degradation, salinization, inadequate utilization, and other such problems.

Through in-depth scientific research, they aim to expedite the establishment of a comprehensive management system for saline-alkaline land, as well as to explore technical pathways for the effective protection and utilization of dark soil in different ecological regions.

These efforts are set to contribute to better safeguarding national food security and promoting the high-quality development of agriculture and animal husbandry in eastern Inner Mongolia.