Partners & Projects

Beijing Fangshan District Doudian Town Climate Resilience Enhancement Project

Project Date:

March 2024 to February 2025

Partners:

Social Workers Without Borders

Background

From July to August 2023, North China experienced unprecedented floods due to the combined impact of typhoons and strong cold air from the north. In Beijing’s Fangshan and Mentougou areas alone, nearly 1.3 million people were affected. This disaster, one of many caused by extreme weather linked to climate change, highlighted the vulnerability of northern farming communities, many of which lack the capacity to cope with such unpredictable weather events, and highlighting an urgent need to improve the tadaptation capabilities of these communities.

Burning straw has long been a common practice for disposing of agricultural residues in rural Asia. This method causes air pollution, reduces soil fertility, decreases crop yields, and directly contributes to carbon emissions. Although the Chinese government has enforced a strict ban on straw burning since 1999, in some areas, the lack of alternative technologies for straw disposal has prevented a complete halt to this practice;

Grassroots authorities and villagers in Doudian Town, Fangshan District, Beijing, are seeking to explore technologies that convert straw and rural organic waste into resources in situ.

This project addresses the needs of grassroots departments and rural communities by enhancing their ability to cope with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change. Through a series of project activities, it aims to strengthen local resilience to climate impacts.

Project Features

  • The project aims to support rural communities to increase their disaster response capacity and self-help capabilities. It also promotes the transformation of agricultural waste into organic compost to prevent burning.
  • Rooted in local needs the project developed a disaster response action plan that includes: knowledge exchange on family emergency kits, village disaster risk assessments, capacity-building training for villages, establishing youth volunteer emergency response teams, developing disaster response procedures, and implementing drills. These integrated approaches aim to comprehensively enhance the emergency response capacity of the community in the event of floods;
  • A horticultural and agricultural organic waste recycling system was established as part of the programme. The grantee trained village-level and grassroots organisations to implement the system. Beneficiaries received technical knowledge and capacity-building support to implement the recycling system effectively.

Project Outcomes

  • Collaborating with local authorities and stakeholders for the long term sustainability of the project: The grantee is collaborating with the Fangshan District Youth League Committee and the Doudian Township Youth League Committee to integrate capacity-building training for flood response with the enhancement of the local flood control system. Their focus is on training flood control staff, village officials, and volunteers;
  • The project developed an emergency response mechanism that integrates families and the broader community, fostering civil self-reliance and mutual aid to enhance community resilience. Training and drills on the local emergency relief process were held as part of the programme. Participants gained knowledge on preparing family emergency kits, designing community mutual aid systems, conducting timely post-disaster cleanup, and implementing epidemic prevention measures;
  • By integrating on-site treatment of agricultural organic waste with village livelihood development, the project aims to “turn waste into treasure” while contributing to green and low-carbon development. It provides technical training in the use of high-temperature aerobic composting and fermentation of regularly pruned garden waste from the village’s to prepare mushroom substrates. After mushroom cultivation, these substrates are used as organic fertilizers or soil conditioners for on-farm planting.
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