Project saves time and money

Pipes about the width of a finger lie in the field under a thin layer of soil, with another layer of plastic film on top of them. Water coming out of the tiny holes in the pipes goes directly to the roots of the crops. Above the ground, pale yellow melons are coming in splendidly.

"That's a new type of melon we started to grow in recent years. It sells well, with its golden skin and sweet red pulp," said Li Yonghong, deputy head of the water resources bureau in Helan county in Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Li is in charge of promoting high-efficiency water saving projects in the county. The fields she was referring to are the project's role model - Languang village.