The paper presents the spatial variability of soil properties of a study catchment within the framework of a project with several research components (soil erosion modelling, land evaluation, and participatory planning). The project aimed at developing land-use scenarios meeting the requirements of ecological and economically sustainable production. Very few results from previous studies of the properties of soils from the Loess Plateau in China and their significance in a land-use planning procedure have, up to the publication of this paper, been presented in English.

The way of integrating the results from the different research components in the project constituted a somewhat new approach. By using detailed soil-profile analyses up to one meter’s depth along two transects and complementing these characteristics with those defined by the farmers living in the catchment, then extrapolating the results spatially with the help of a surface lithology map, a comprehensive picture of the soils in the study catchment for use within the frameworks of the project was obtained.

The Loess Plateau covers a large area in northern China. The degree of erosion by water is very large, to a great extent due to intensive agriculture on steep slopes. The land use needs to be modified to reduce erosion. This paper presents the properties of soils in a study catchment, results gathered as well by scientific analyses as from indigeneous knowledge of the land users. These properties are important to consider in making the proper decisions when planning for a sustainable land use.

We were requested to participate with the research components land evaluation and integrated participatory planning in an EU-financed soil conservation research project and we carried out the research together with colleagues from the Netherlands and China.