Across China in 2007,39.93 million hectares of farmland was affected by drought,of which nearly 9 percent became unfertile. Millions of people had difficulty accessing drinking water“Spring rain is as precious as oil.”This ancient proverb invented by farmers in north China captures both the im- portance and rarity of springtime rain in the region.Areas south of China’s great Yangtze River receive high levels of rainfall during the country’s mon- Across China in 2007,39.93 million hectares of farmland was affected by drought, of which nearly 9 percent became unfertile. Millions of people had difficulty accessing drinking water “Spring ancient is as precious as oil.” This ancient proverb invented by farmers in north China captures both the im- portance and rarity of springtime rain in the region .Areas south of China’s great Yangtze River receive high levels of rainfall during the country’s mon-