Status and Potential for Development of China’s Dryland Agriculture and Suggestions on Its Policymaking

North China has a large area of dryland which plays a significant role as our future ecological defense due to its large areas, rich resources and multiple minority groups. It has become strategically important in China''s economic construction, social stability, national security and ecological security. A Sustainable agricultural development in dryland farming is confined to numerous factors featuring drought and water shortage. However, specific land resource and climate also signify the great potential for agricultural production. Evidence can be drawn from practice that through scientific and technological progress, sustainable development in dryland agriculture can be feasible. Possible suggestions are mentioned in this paper:to outline dryland agricultural development and ecological construction; to establish special projects for the cooperative development of dryland agriculture and ecology; to further display the role of Yangling in order to coordinate the dryland agricultural sci-tech resources, strengthen the cooperation and innovation; to put forward three specific strategic suggestions and discuss the future dryland agricultural development and structure modification.