Dongying in East China's Shandong province has 227,333 hectares of saline-alkali land, with 130,666 hectares of arable saline-alkali fields, accounting for 60 percent of the total cultivated area. Revitalizing this land and transforming it into productive farmland has been a long-standing goal for residents.

In Hekou district's Aihe village, expansive cornfields are now ready for harvest. Previously, the proximity to the sea resulted in saline groundwater, leaving the fields nearly abandoned and villagers struggling with barren soil.

"Thanks to projects that comprehensively utilize saline-alkali land, farming conditions have significantly improved, and we are now achieving high yields," said villager Meng Lingzhou.

Since the 1990s, local farmers have been using a "land and fish" model, involving digging ponds for fish while cultivating on raised mounds, which has effectively reduced soil salinization.

Dongying has developed a three-tier ecological utilization model for various types of saline-alkali land, enhancing soil fertility through targeted improvements. By 2025, the city plans to utilize 4,260 hectares of saline-alkali land and improve 7,726 hectares, adding 2,320 hectares of new farmland.

The city is also focusing on cultivating salt-tolerant crop varieties, combining "suitable crops for the land" with "suitable land for crops".

As a result of these efforts, the proportion of saline-alkali arable land has decreased from 80 percent when the city was first established to the current 60 percent. Over the past decade, nearly one million mu (66,666 hectares) have been transformed into high-standard farmland.

In autumn, Dongying celebrates a bountiful harvest across its vast fields, thanks to the improvements made to saline-alkali land. [Photo/Dazhong News]