Strategy for Inclusive and Green Development of Small Cities, Towns, and Villages in Jiangxi

Client: Asian Development Bank

Duration: 2016-2018

Location: Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, PRC

Contract Value: USD 346,950

Catalogue: Rural and Urban Development

Project Description

Jiangxi Province’s general development lags behind other provinces in the PRC with significant poverty in rural areas, despite a robust agriculture sector. This TA provided support to the Jiangxi Provincial government to meet its New-type Urbanization Plan, 2014–2020; its objectives include (i) assessing and developing policies for urban–rural integration and rural vitalization; (ii) improving coordinated planning and systematic medium- and long-term investment programming, and integration of housing, economic, and industrial development in small cities, towns, and villages; (iii) enhancing economic development; create jobs; promote farm upscaling; improve produce quality (i.e., green food); integrate value chains, food processing, and light industry; and develop the service sector in small cities, towns, and villages; (iv) upgrading infrastructure, public services, and links between and among small cities, towns, and villages; (v) reforming the dual hukou system and rural land policy to enable farm upscaling and land market development; (vi) improving ecosystem planning and management through environmental protection, reduction of pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides, water source protection and water safety, and wastewater and solid-waste management; (vii) promoting self-administration through enhanced management systems within local communities and governments; (viii) coordinating equitable public service delivery for health, education, technical and vocational training, social security, poverty alleviation, and cultural facilities and institutions; and (ix) improving the public finance mechanism and raise funds for infrastructure, and promote enabling environments for private investments and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Services Provided by NAREE

Preparation of a province-wide inclusive and green economic development strategy – NAREE identified the challenges and proposed solutions to address a pressing need of vitalizing the rural areas and their villages and towns and linking them with small, medium, and large cities systemically through infrastructure and services, value chains, and job opportunities. The prepared development strategy included assessments and planning for (a) basic public and social infrastructure, such as roads and public transport, transport safety, education, health and elderly care, and convenient public service stations; (b) environmental infrastructure and ecosystem services, such as water supply, wastewater management, solid-waste management, river rehabilitation and flood risk management, reforestation, and urban–rural partnership mechanisms, including eco-compensation; and (c) an enabling environment for private sector development, including urban–rural supply chain integration, local value addition including farm upscaling and product processing, green food production, light industry and service sector development, and rural finance;

Preparation of policy recommendations and a framework – For the selected three pilot areas, NAREE conducted comprehensive assessment to formulate strategy and policy recommendations, and capacity development plans, covering specific land use, infrastructure, green space, institutional strengthening and public services.