Integrated crop-livestock production systems in China

Abstract

The integrated crop-livestock production system provides most of the food needed by the people of China. Five types of integrated production systems are recognised; rangeland, grain crops, crop/pasture, agro-silvopastoral and ponds. Development of more sustainable and integrated crop-pasture-rangeland-livestock production systems has been recently achieved. Demonstrations of the integrated systems at household, village and regional levels are occurring for rain-fed agriculture on the Loess Plateau, the Hexi Corridor, north-western China and the Karst region of Guizhou Province, south-western China. These indicate that integration of crop, livestock and forage are effective means of improving agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and farmers’ incomes. Widespread adoption of integrated farming systems should also reduce rangeland degradation.

Guest Editorial: Grasslands and rangelands of China: systems, connectivity, environment and development.

“…This latter view is developed further by Li et al (2008) who raise questions about how to share benefits from ecosystems services and how to deal with the large number of the poor who currently derive their livelihoods from grazing livestock. Hou et al (2008) and Long et al (2008) also support the two views of Han et al (2008) and in their papers demonstrate how these would be achieved. Wang and Ba (2008) identify some key areas for basic research for designing management for arresting and reversing degradation; methodology to measure rangeland function/value and health, processes that link health with ecosystem services and the effects of climate change on rangeland biodiversity and function.…”

“…They point out that the recent rapid increase in demand for livestock products is shifting national attention from grasslands and rangelands as a source of meat and other products, to the dominant croplivestock systems and the smaller industrialised systems close to cities. Hou et al (2008) describe in more detail the croplivestock systems in China and demonstrate by case studies, how integrated crop-pasture-rangeland-livestock systems are successfully operating in several contrasting parts of China. These spatially and temporally integrated systems are raising production efficiency and increasing farmer's profits.…”

“…The rapid modernisation and development underway in China is stressing many ecosystems, in particular the grasslands and rangelands (Han et al 2008;Li et al 2008;Hou et al 2008) and imposing environmental and public health risks. China must manage these challenges through sound governance and technological interventions.…”

“…Connectivity in rural areas between crop and livestock producers occurs elsewhere, such as in Australia, New Zealand and the USA, but the connections differ and each is unique. Hou et al (2008) usefully identify the importance of system coupling and overcoming discordance for improving exiting systems in China. They recognise that most countries are moving towards optimised and integrated structures for the different components of agricultural systems and propose that better integration and connectivity may reduce rangeland degradation.…”

Grazing intensity and soil depth effects on soil properties in alpine meadow pastures of Qilian Mountain in northwest China

“…Livestock farming in this area has a history of more than a thousand years , which in common with many other alpine rangelands worldwide, employs a grazing system based on seasonal rotation between higher altitude pastures utilised in summer and lower altitude pastures utilised in winter (Watson et al 1990;Hou et al 2008). Specifically, at this site pastures at approximately 3000 m a.s.l.…”