民初中國經過連年征戰，各地滿目瘡咦，予人遍地無林之感，加以政治紊亂，中樞無心無力耕耘林務。然林政不興，導致災患頻仍，造成人民重大傷亡與經濟損失。因此，深諳森林效益的林學家們，率皆高聲呼籲政府應提出積極對策，重視自然變化，以改變中國日漸惡化的環境問題。其中，水土保持工作因可護衛國土，捍止災祲，對於國計民生大布裨益，遂受到各界重視與關注。因此，在官民齊心的狀況下，農林部乃於1942年擇定在深受乾旱及各種自然災害肆虐的甘肅地區設立「農林部水土保持實驗區」，冀望透過落實水土保持實驗研究工作，提供治理國土之詳實依據。該實驗區雖處於經費與人才均極欠缺的困境，但相關人員仍勉力主動開展各項水土保持工作業務，諸如培育繁殖保土植物、進行梯田保土蓄水實驗、小區逕流試驗，以及溝墾種植、河灘造林、柳籬掛淤等不同類型的推廣造林工作；亦積極與國內外相關機構團體合作發展，並利用外籍學人訪華視察期間，舉辦水土保持訓練班與冬季研討會，藉此提升己身研究視野，在在展示該所的積極性，且獲致相當成效。本文運用庋藏於中央研究院近代史研究所檔案館中的《農林部檔案》為史料基礎，以時間為經，發展經過為緯，建構農林部水土保持實驗區發展軌跡。先縷述籌設農林部之背景，次則耙梳該實驗區成立始末與組織架構，並盱衡其具體工作內容，試圖理解政府對於水土保持工作的實際作法與措施，補充中國林業史上被忽略的空白。透過對農林部水土保持實驗區發展脈絡的個案探討，除可得悉民國史上首見的專責水土保持機構之貢獻與歷史意涵，亦期能提供嶄新的研究視角、以此管窺全豹﹒籍以豐富中國近現代史的研究面向與內涵。

Early Republican years of China were plagued by so many internal wars around the country that the political environment was in chaos. The Nationalist government could not take care of forestry administration, which resulted in natural disasters and economical losses. These caused forestry scholars to appeal to the government to bring out active policy to check and improve China's environmental deterioration. For this purpose of enabling the government and the people to work together, the Soil and Water Conservation Experimental Area in Gansu was thus set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. However, in carrying out their various assigned tasks, the staff were faced with tight budget caused by warfare and lack of staff. Nevertheless, they carried out various conservatory works on soil and water, such as the breeding of plants capable of withstanding the desolate, famished land; the experiments on water conservation in terraced fields; the projects of irrigative waterways in small areas; the planting of trees along the waterways, the forestation of riversides, and the embankment of rivers with willows planting, etc. Besides, they also cooperated with related organizations within the government and foreign countries, in addition to holding the training programs and seminars in conjunction with visiting foreign scholars so as to promote the staff's working capabilities and enthusiasm with significant results.This essay uses available historical data in the Institute of Modern History at the Academia Sinica. It is expected that this case study will not only throw light on the Soil and Water Conservation Experimental Area, but also serve as a window to providing a research background of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in its contributions to China's environmental protection.