On June 27, Professor Liu Yansui’s team received another special feature report in Global Times for their "Geo‑STEP" model and its practical application in Lankao, Henan Province. Previously, the newspaper had reported on the team’s contributions to targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization in 2024, and in 2013 it focused on their research findings on rural hollowing. Global Times is the most influential English-language international media outlet in China, sponsored by the People’s Daily. It has a daily circulation of 2.6 million copies and a broad global readership.
Chinese Geo-STEP Model Offers New Path for Land Restoration and High-Standard Farmland Construction
As many Global South countries grapple with the overlapping pressures of land degradation, food security challenges, and the urgent need to raise farmers' incomes, a pioneering Chinese geographical engineering model is emerging as a promising solution.
Developed by Professor Liu Yansui — a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and Director of the Faculty of Geographical Science and Engineering at Henan University — the Geo-STEP model integrates geography-based Science (S), Technology (T), Engineering (E), and Practice (P) into a logical closed-loop system. This innovative approach transforms land restoration and farmland improvement from experience-based work into a systematic process that can be scientifically diagnosed, designed, implemented, and evaluated.
"The real international value of Geo-STEP is not to provide a standard answer, but to offer a complete problem-solving capacity that countries can adapt to their own conditions." — Professor Liu Yansui
Proven Impact in Lankao, China
The model has been successfully put into engineering practice in Lankao County, Central China's Henan Province — an area with a complex history shaped by the old course of the Yellow River. Repeated flooding and sediment deposition left the region with special soil-body structures that weaken water and fertilizer retention capacity, limiting crop yields despite meeting surface-level farmland standards.
Rather than simply leveling fields or increasing fertilizer input, the Geo-STEP approach begins with scientific diagnosis — analyzing soil profiles, soil-layer structures, and hidden limiting factors. Preliminary work has included the construction of more than 30 soil profiles and large sample plots, with researchers examining indicators such as particle size, soil bulk density, and pH values across different layers. Engineering plans are then formulated based on these precise diagnostics to address the root causes of low productivity.
A Scalable Model for the Global South
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Geo-STEP model represents a complete, transferable capacity for systematic land governance. It offers developing countries a flexible framework that can be adapted to local conditions — providing not a one-size-fits-all answer, but the tools to diagnose, design, and implement solutions tailored to each region's unique challenges.
Learn more about how Geo-STEP is reshaping sustainable agriculture and land restoration — and how it can be applied to your region.