On Developing Sightseeing Agriculture in Poyang Lake Eco-Economic Zone

Sightseeing agriculture is no doubt the best choice that can preferably overcome the scientific development mode featured in “population-resources-environment” contradiction and gradually realize the agricultural sustainable development, which will become the strong support for the realization of the strategic target of Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone. Poyang Lake region should seize the rare opportunity that our country is establishing the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone and developing the low-carbon economy in force. Meanwhile, it also should make full use of its advantages in resources to combine spatial layout and other industry development for the preferential policies and measures in a more active way and innovate and explore effective ways to promote ecological agriculture development in Poyang Lake.


Introduction
Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone is located in the north of Jiangxi province, including Poyang Lake plain and three municipal-level cities (Nanchang, Jingdezhen, Yingtan) and some counties of Jiujiang, Xinyu, Fuzhou, Yichun, Shangrao, Ji'an, which has 38 counties in total, covering an area of about 51.2 thousand square kilometers. In December 2009, Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone Planning got the formal approval of State Council of China, which becomes the first state-level regional development strategy in Jiangxi. Focusing on developing new type of ecological tourism mode to combine agriculture, ecology and tourism, it is not only beneficial to the promotion of agricultural development and farmers' income, but also playing a significant role for the development of tourism in PLEEZ and even the economic development of entire province in order to realize the coordinated development of ecological benefits and economic benefits. Poyang Lake basin is so abundant in flora and fauna resources that has the reputation of "Land of Fish and Rice", "a Kingdom for Rare Birds" and "the World of Crane". Migratory birds of all sorts and 98% of the world's migratory birds gather here, which makes Poyang lake basin as the world's largest bird sanctuary. Aquatic organism's resources are abundant, with as many as 120 kinds of fishes, including whitebait and Poyang Lake hairy crabs. What's more, due to the effect of warm and wet southeast monsoon, the average annual rainfall of Poyang lake is 16.36 mm. The adequate sunlight and rainfall amount, warm climate and fertile soil make here forms a kind of wet monsoon climate and make its name for the pearl of the desert belt on the tropic of cancer. There is a high forest coverage rate, including more than 2,400 kinds of forest plants. The heavy mountain fog and dense humidity is very conducive to the growth of tea, bamboo, edible fungus and medicinal herbs. It can be said that the unique natural ecological environment of PLEEZ is more beneficial to the development of ecological agriculture tourism.

Convenient local transportation
Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone is located in the north of Jiangxi, northeast of Yangtze River Delta, southeast of West-strait Economic Zone, south of Pearl River Delta, west of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Addlomeration, north of Wuhan urban agglomeration, which provide an excellent tourist market for developing ecological agriculture tourism to make the coordinated exploitation of agricultural tourism development and the regional economy. With the highly-developed traffic condition, PLEEZ has been building into a three-dimensional traffic network with a trinity of Land-Sea-Air. The Beijing-Kowloon, Shanghai-Kunming and Xiangtang-Putian Railways and G20 (Beijing-Fuzhou), G70 (Fuzhou-Yinchuan) and G60 (Shanghai-Kunming) national highways all pass through the region. In addition, there are many airports such as Nanchang Changbei International Airport, Jiujiang Lushan Airport, Jingdezhen Luojia Airport and Yichun Mingyueshan Airport located in the region. The gridlocked traffic network model brings the accessibility for Poyang Lake Ecoeconomic Zone that greatly shorten the time for visitors from surrounding large and medium cities so that they can better enjoy the natural and simple leisure life brought by ecological agriculture.

Powerful policy support
On December 12th, 2009, Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone Planning was formally approved by the State Council, marking the fact that eco-economic zone construction has risen to national development strategy, which is also the first regional national development strategy in Jiangxi. Subsequently, the relevant departments have issued a series of supporting policies to support the construction of PLEEZ, such as increasing asset investment and restoring reclaimed lands for lakes. These preferential policies are no doubt the rare opportunities for PLEEZ, even the entire province. Meanwhile, the favorable conditions are indeed great development opportunities for the development and innovation of sightseeing agriculture, promoting the rapid development of ecological agriculture tourism, which is conducive to the sustainable development of economy and society as well.

Huge market potential and excellent development momentum
Since 21st century, with the general improvement of people's life and the constantly updating concept of leisure, travelling has become an important way of public leisure. Moreover, with the mounting pressure faced by urban residents, the sightseeing agriculture is an excellent way to meet with requirements of releasing person's pressure, returning to nature, relaxing their minds and improving their quality of life. Therefore, no matter on the aspect of material or spiritual, ecological agriculture tourism will become a necessary choice to meet the new demands of visitors, with a strong vitality, broad prospects and good momentum of development.

Starting late and simple form
Compared with sightseeing agriculture of coastal developed areas, the development of sightseeing agriculture in Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone started relatively late. The developed agriculture ecological garden and agricultural tourism demonstration area are not perfect enough due to the lack of scientific and technological content and the modern marketing idea are still limited by traditional ecological agricultural tourism mode. The relatively single traveling form makes agricultural tourism in PLEEZ only stay in the shallow level of ornamental and tasting farm food and lack specialty.

Imperfect tourism infrastructure and nonstandard service
Due to the late start and simple form, the tourism industry in Poyang Lake eco-economic Zone is just at the beginning so that catering, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping and other supporting facilities in the tourism activities are not perfect and the service is not in place. For example, the rural sanitary conditions and hot water supply of local hotels and rural homes do not meet the satisfaction of tourists. The sewage water and waste can be seen everywhere, which has a seriously negative influence on the moods of tourists. The atmosphere in the teahouse cannot make tourists feel serenity and elegance. In addition, loud noises made by local residents can be heard easily outdoor. Based on above two points, the lack of infrastructure and service makes it hard to drive the sustainable development of tourism in the area.

Environmental challenges
Due to human factors such as increasing population, the accelerated industrialization and urbanization process, the one-sided pursuit of economic benefits as well as the vulgar way of resource exploitation, the Poyang Lake area's vegetation has faced great destructions, causing the deterioration of ecological environment. The degradation of wetland's function, the existence serious land desertification phenomenon that includes the appearance of the biggest sand in the south of the Yangtze River, the increasing water pollution, the overuse of fertilizers, and the unlimited emission of the untreated agricultural and industrial sewage, all of which have brought great convenience and potential safety hazard for the residents' production and daily life. In addition, due to the destruction of vegetation caused by " reclamation of land from the lake", Duchang county located in the north shore of Poyang Lake has the degradation of wetland's function, causing serious desertification phenomenon that even the dust disaster happens frequently in serious damage areas and the floating dusts cover the fertile fields, making soil and water erosion phenomenon more serious.

The countermeasures of sightseeing agriculture development of Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone
In face of current situation and problems of Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone, if good development of ecological agriculture economy is wanted to be continued, all kinds of advantages and opportunities should be made full use while the unfavorable factors and threat of risks should be avoided. A positive attitude towards solving problems should be taken out so as to promote the sustainable and healthy development of ecological economy.

The scientific planning, the highlight of specialty and the brand building
As regard to late start and simple form problem, on basis of giving full play to special culture and advantages in Poyang Lake region, we should expand scientific planning and development of sightseeing agriculture in Poyang Lake region and absorb the scientific and modern technological contents and modern marketing idea to increase highlights of sightseeing agriculture project. At the same time, in order to meet the needs of tourists, we should increase the participation and entertainment of activities and make tourists participate in rural life and experience local customs, etc. The innovative tourism project should include experimental tourism activities such as harvesting, picking fruits, fishing and participate in local customs and festivals. Finally, we also should take advantage of the advanced social networking and other means to vigorously promote ecological agricultural products and make them known by all so that we can better highlight the tourism specialty of PLEEZ for the increasing celebrity of ecological agriculture tourism area, for building the brand of Poyang lake ecological sightseeing agriculture, for improving the competitive advantages over surrounding areas to establish the unique image of excellent tourism.

Perfecting facilities and improve service level
Tourism, as a kind of service industry, aims to make tourists feel relaxed when travelling. Meanwhile, perfect tourism facilities and excellent service level can improve the satisfaction of the tourists. The construction and perfecting of tourism infrastructure should be reinforced when the ecological agriculture tourism projects are developed, to ensure the clean and tidy environment, the comfortable and convenient accommodation, the safety and hygiene of food and beverage and so on. For improving the etiquette, cultural level and service quality of local receptionist, the regular training should be provided to improve the service level of tourism areas and the attraction and overall image of economic zone. Finally, in view of the universal service of ecological agriculture tourism, we also should offer the educational propaganda of tourism service consciousness for local residents to build a kind of hospitality, friendly and easygoing regional image in folk.

Attaching importance to eco-environment protection and seeking for protection and development
To reduce the destruction of environment in development process, the development of sightseeing agriculture in PLEEZ should attach importance to ecological environment protection, avoiding a series of destruction of ecology and environment. On the aspect of consciousness, we should understand that protection is a better form of development. Meanwhile, carrying out public education of ecological environmental protection can strengthen the environmental protection consciousness of tourists and local residents. Under the guidance of professional personnel, the implementation of design and management of tourism projects should adhere to the principle of "protection first, development second" to achieve the harmonious development between human and nature, creating a good atmosphere of tourism environment and build sustainable development of environmental protection and sightseeing agriculture exploitation.

Conclusions
With a strong vitality and broad prospects, sightseeing agriculture is one of development orientation for today's tourism industry. We should constantly absorb the experiences of developing sightseeing agriculture in other regions and countries, fully demonstrate local specialties and regional culture in the area and get rid of the stale and bring forth the fresh, for the sustainable development of ecological agriculture tourism in Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone. Sightseeing agriculture in PLEEZ is beneficial to explore the new path of coordinated development of ecology and economy, the new mode of comprehensive development of lake basin and build the new pivot that our country promotes the rise of the central region strategy implementation, setting the new image that China adhere to the road of sustainable development.