Through studies over five years the authors assessed the health of a catchment in a saline region of Nanpi County in Hebei Province, China using a set of key indicators. The indicators chosen included groundwater table level, electrical conductivity in groundwater, soil colour, pH and consistency. From this assessment they constructed a knowledge transfer network involving the Nanpi Eco-Agricultural Experimental Station, local government, a technical extension station, scientists, technicians and key users.