The upper reaches of Yangtze River are characteristic of broken geology and fragile ecology

and prevail in sloping upland agriculture and serious soil erosion

leading to backward economy and large population in poverty.Experts consider that soil erosion is the origin of poverty

since it washes away the fertile top soil that crops grow on and along with moisture and plant nutrients that support all green lives.Adopting cash crop hedgerows and balanced fertilizer technology to combat soil erosion has proven very practical and applicable on a large scale.It not only reduces effectively the soil erosion from sloping farmlands

but also increases crop yield and farmers'income.This integrated new technology has realized the goal combining social

ecological and economic benefits

and can thus safeguard the sustainable agriculture on sloping lands.