Desertification has inflicted severe damage on the natural environment and social economy for decades, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China. In Yanchi County, a series of projects were implemented to combat desertification after 2000. To assess the effects of these Desertification Control Projects from the farmers’ perspective, we divided Yanchi County into two regions (the northern and southern regions) according to their different environmental conditions. We collected data including basic family information, farmers’ perceptions and attitudes, and farmers’ suggestions, in a questionnaire investigation following the Participatory Rural Appraisal approach. Data analysis using the Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test revealed that the Desertification Control Projects were generally successful, as the local environment and farmers’ incomes were both improved. Farmers were all satisfied with the effects of the projects, but the farmers in the southern region had a higher acceptance of the projects than those in the northern region. In addition, three problems with the Desertification Control Projects were noted: the farmers had a low degree of participation in the projects, the farmer’s low incomes affected the sustainability of the projects, and the implementation of the complete grazing ban had several adverse effects. We provided suggestions for solving these problems. Our findings have important implications for assessing the effects of environmental conservation projects, especially from a participant’s perspective.

In order to restore degraded grasslands, the Chinese central government initiated the Prohibited Grazing Policy (PGP) in areas of severe grassland degradation and ecologically fragile regions which is an important payment for ecosystem services (PES) program. Since the initiation of this policy in the early 2000s, the PGP has significantly influenced participants’ lives. Therefore, in order for the policy to be successful, it is necessary to understand what determines participants’ satisfaction in the policy. This paper presents an analysis of survey data from Yanchi County using ordered probit regression models to explore the factors influencing PGP satisfaction and life satisfaction. The empirical results suggest that farmers’ policy perception, environmental perception, and livelihood strategies of raising sheep had significant effects on PGP satisfaction. Additionally, PGP satisfaction, marital status, environmental satisfaction, self-reported influence of the PGP on income, self-reported income level, and self-reported income and expenditure had significantly positive effects on overall life satisfaction. These results are important for promoting better implementation of such programs as well as enhancing social stability and sustainable development in these regions.

This study analyzes farmers’ perception of grazing restriction policies, grassland environment and ecological management following the implementation of environmental protection policies in northern China. Understanding farmers’ attitudes and their causes will hopefully aid in the creation and execution of future policies. One hundred and thirty-five households were surveyed at three occasions over the course of a decade to explore the causes and processes of farmers’ perception. Farmers’ ecological awareness tends to be short term. In areas with a degraded environment, farmers were eager to implement policies to improve the environment and recognized the positive impact of the grazing ban policy (GBP). However, as conditions improved, farmers’ recognition and acceptance of the GBP became negative. Although farmers recognized the benefits of the GBP, they showed little awareness of the long-term process of environmental governance. As can be seen from the farmers’ ecological awareness and their attitudes toward the GBP, they are more inclined to value short-term economic interest than ecological protection. We suggest that good environmental protection policy must take into account the ecological and economic interests of farmers.