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Development of sustainable livestock systems on grasslands in north-western China ACIAR PROCEEDINGS 134 Development of sustainable livestock systems on grasslands in north-western China Proceedings of a workshop held at the combined International Grassland Congress and International Rangeland Conference, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, 28 June 2008 Editors: D.R. Kemp and D.L. Michalk 2011 The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was established in June 1982 by an Act of the Australian Parliament. ACIAR operates as part of Australia’s international development cooperation program, with a mission to achieve more productive and sustainable agricultural systems, for the benefit of developing countries and Australia. It commissions collaborative research between Australian and developing-country researchers in areas where Australia has special research competence. It also administers Australia’s contribution to the International Agricultural Research Centres. Where trade names are used this constitutes neither endorsement of nor discrimination against any product by the Centre. ACIAR PROCEEDINGS SERIES This series of publications includes the full proceedings of research workshops or symposia organised or supported by ACIAR. Numbers in this series are distributed internationally to selected individuals and scientific institutions, and are also available from ACIAR’s website at <www.aciar.gov.au>. The papers in ACIAR Proceedings are peer reviewed. © Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 2011 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, [email protected]. Kemp D.R. and Michalk D.L. (eds) 2011. Development of sustainable livestock systems on grasslands in north-western China. ACIAR Proceedings No. 134. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research: Canberra. 189 pp. ISBN 978 1 921738 45 6 (print) ISBN 978 1 921738 46 3 (online) Technical editing and design by Clarus Design Pty Ltd, Canberra, Australia Printing by Elect Printing Cover: Colin Langford, livestock advisory specialist, leads herder training in condition scoring of sheep at Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region [Photo: D.R. Kemp] Foreword The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has been engaged in collaborative research projects in China since the mid 1980s. These proceedings present the results of the first ACIAR project on livestock farming systems in north-western China. Livestock in that part of China rely on grasslands for much of their nutrition, but overstocking and restricted access to grazing lands have led to the twin problems of grassland degradation and low incomes for households dependent on livestock production. This project first sought to understand exactly how farmers (herders) managed their livestock in the vast grasslands across the region. Models were then developed to analyse the livestock farming system and investigate options for change. The project was characterised by regular workshops and discussions among researchers, herders, local officials and others in China involved in finding solutions to improving livelihoods and the degraded grasslands. On-farm implementation of project outcomes has now begun. The results show that all-round benefits are possible. Net income from livestock can be achieved with fewer animals—in some cases livestock numbers can be halved—and this provides the opportunity to then reduce grazing pressure and rehabilitate the grasslands. Chinese grasslands appear to be more resilient than those in other countries, as evidenced by desirable grassland plant species regaining dominance after bans on grazing and a reduction in livestock numbers. Early results from demonstration farms are encouraging, but further work is needed to evaluate better pathways for improvement. The project findings were first presented at a workshop held in association with the combined International Grassland Congress and International Rangeland Conference in China in 2008. The presentations were then written up and updated to give the papers presented here. The methodologies and results used in the Chinese grasslands project demonstrate the strengths of a systems approach to identifying the scale of a problem and for evaluating a range of solutions. The solutions that have emerged would probably not have been yielded by an experimental approach. This has stimulated new areas of research in China, where systems approaches had not been recognised as a discipline, particularly in universities. Nick Austin Chief Executive Officer ACIAR 3 Contents Foreword 3 Acknowledgments 7 Contributors 8 Introduction 11 Chinese grasslands: problems, dilemmas and finding solutions 12 David Kemp, Colin Brown, Han Guodong, David Michalk, Nan Zhibiao, Wu Jianping and Xu Zhu Understanding livestock systems and developing solutions 25 Steady-state modelling for better understanding of current livestock production systems and for exploring optimal short-term strategies 26 Taro Takahashi, Randall Jones and David Kemp Dynamic modelling of sustainable livestock production systems 36 Randall Jones, David Kemp and Taro Takahashi Case studies of typical farms in Gansu province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 45 Grazing systems on loess soils: options in Huanxian county, Gansu province 46 Wang Xiaoyan, Hou Fujiang and Nan Zhibiao Public grazing systems on typical steppe grasslands in Taipusi Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 58 Zheng Yang, Xu Zhu, David Kemp, Shan Guilian, Tian Qingsong and Xie Jihong Changing livestock and grassland management to improve the sustainability and profitability of alpine grasslands in Sunan county, Gansu province 69 Yang Lian, Wu Jianping, Randall Jones, David Kemp, Ma Zhifeng and Taro Takahashi Changing livestock numbers and farm management to improve the livelihood of farmers and rehabilitate grasslands in desert steppe: a case study in Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 80 Han Guodong, Li Na, Zhao Mengli, Zhang Min, Wang Zhongwu, Li Zhiguo, Bai Weijie, Randall Jones, David Kemp, Taro Takahashi and David Michalk Policy environment for grassland and smallholder improvement 97 Developing the right institutional environment to deal with grassland degradation in China 98 Scott Waldron, Colin Brown and Zhao Yutian 5 Policy settings to combat grassland degradation and promote sustainable development in western China 105 Colin Brown, Scott Waldron and Zhao Yutian Reducing methane production from livestock: can more efficient livestock systems help? 115 Dong Hongmin, Li Yue, David Kemp, David Michalk, Na Renhua, Taro Takahashi and You Yubo What are the solutions to the problems of loss of soil and plant biodiversity on China’s grasslands? 128 Wang Zhongwu, Han Guodong, Randall Jones, David Kemp, Li Zhiguo, Taro Takahashi and Zhao Mengli Delivering solutions to smallholders 139 Re-designing livestock strategies to reduce stocking rates and improve incomes on western China’s grasslands 140 David Michalk, David Kemp, Han Guodong, Hua Limin, Nan Zhibiao, Taro Takahashi, Wu Jianping and Xu Zhu Demonstration farms to improve grasslands and household incomes in western China: what can be done and what are we learning? 152 David Kemp, Han Guodong, Gemma Junk, Colin Langford, David Michalk, Geoff Millar, Taro Takahashi, Xu Zhu and Zhao Mengli Talking with China’s livestock herders: what was learnt about their attitudes to new practices 162 Wu Jian-ping, David Michalk, David Kemp, Yang Lian and Gong Xuyin China’s grassland livestock farming systems: strategies and tactics for improvement 177 David Kemp, Han Guodong, David Michalk, Nan Zhibiao, Wu Jianping and Xu Zhu 6 6 Acknowledgments The work presented in these proceedings would not have happened without the support of, in China: the Gansu Agricultural University, the Gansu Grassland Ecological Research Institute, the Grassland Research Institute (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences – CAAS, Inner Mongolia), the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, and the ministries of Science and Technology and Agriculture; and, in Australia: the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Greenhouse Office, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Charles Sturt University, Industry & Investment NSW, and the University of Queensland. We acknowledge particularly the enthusiastic participation in the project of the many groups and individuals associated with our partners in China. They were always willing providers of information, and discussions with them helped to formulate the proposals that have emerged. We acknowledge too the assistance of the many farmers and herders in the case study villages and elsewhere who freely provided valuable information that enabled us to build sensible models and to test the ideas we developed. Some of those herders have now been to Australia to learn more about some of the alternative approaches to livestock raising proposed by the project. Also, many local officials from provincial to village levels have engaged in the surveys and discussions held and have been very supportive of the collective proposals put forward. ACIAR has been the prime funding body, supplemented by funds from the Australian Greenhouse Office and various subprojects: ‘Ecosystem service function and optimal distribution