Study on the Valuation of Livestock Production in the Typical Farming-Pastroral Area on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The authors selected a typical farming-pastoral village. They interviewed herders and farmers who engage in range-based animal husbandry to gain an understanding and formulate an analysis of the market and non-market value of livestock products, and evaluated the contribution of the livestock products to local economic development and the improvement of people’s livelihood. Keywords-livestock product; market value; non-market value I. REPRESENTATIVE INTRODUCTION OF CHUNDUI VILLAGE We selected the Chundui village in Lhunzhub county as the field site, which is located in the 100 kilometers north of downtown Lhasa City. With an elevation of 3850m, it belongs to semi-arid climatic type. According to the statistical data compiled at different levels of government in the region, the number of domestic animals in the village was 3513 heads, including yak, ox, sheep, goat, pig, horse and donkey. Most of these domestic animals were raised by Tibetans in higher elevated regions of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The region belongs to agricultural and pastoral areas in river valleys in the southern Tibet Autonomous Region, whose production system is sedentary or pastoralist. It has the representative features fitting the purpose of this study. By the end of 2009, there were 102 households with 636 people in Chundui village. Its plough area was 2284 ke1 . There were 3513 heads (pieces) livestock, 6365 sheep units. Among them, 2800 sheep, 300 cows, 180 cattle, 130 yaks, 96 donkeys, 7 horses, 160 pigs and 11 chicken. FIGURE 1. LOCATION (MARKED BY RED STAR) II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF RESPONDENTS To support the development of animal husbandry, Chinese government promulgated “The Animal Husbandry Act of the People's Republic of China” in 2006. And in order to speed up the development of animal husbandry, Tibetan government provided some of the following technical support during the 11th Five-Year: • The technology of efficient yak breeding. The profit of yak breeding improved by 15% ~ 20% compared with that of the 10th Five-Year. • The technology of cattle improvement and efficient breeding. • Animal epidemic sources and disease monitoring and early warning system • The technology of sheep efficient breeding. • Yak breeding and variety selection • Cultivation of new species of highland barley We selected 20 people from 20 households as our respondents. The 7 females and 13 males were all Tibetans, at the average age of 48 years old, with 37 as the youngest, and 65 the oldest. They all selected sedentary or pastoralist production type. (See Figure.2) FIGURE 2. AGE OF THE RESPONDENTS Regarding the ratio of adult males within these 20 households, the minimum is 1 adult male / household, the maximum is 7, and the average is 3.3; for adult females, the minimum is 1 adult female / household, the maximum is 5, and the average is 3.0; for male child, the minimum is 0 male child / household, the maximum is 2, and the average is 0.6; for female child, the minimum is 0 female child / household, the maximum is 3, the average is 1.1. All the respondents were married. (See Figure.3) International Conference on the Modern Development of Humanities and Social Science (MDHSS 2013) © 2013. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 20 FIGURE 3. HOUSEHOLD MEMBER COMPOSITION About the number of household numbers working outside their living town, 4 households have neither male or female outside workers; 2 households have both male and female outside workers; for the other 14 households, 11 have only male outside workers, and 3 have female outside workers. So for the ratio of male outside workers within these 20 households, the minimum is 0, the maximum is 4, and the average is 1.2; for female outside workers, the minimum is 0, the maximum is 1, and the average is 0.3. (See Figure.4) FIGURE 4. GENDER CALCULATION OF HOUSEHOLD NUMBERS WORKING OUTSIDE THEIR LIVING TOWN In the aspect of pastoralist within these 20 households, 16 households’ pastoralists are merely male, the maximum is 2 male pastoralist / household, and the average is 0.9. 4 households’ pastoralists are merely female (one pastoralist for one household), and the average is 0.2 male pastoralist / household. (See Figure.5) FIGURE 5. NUMBER OF FAMILY MEMBERS INVOLVED IN HERDING LIVESTOCK There are no children pastoralists among all the respondents; all their livestock grazed in community pasture; none of the respondents own rangeland with exclusive grazing rights or forest with wood and fuel. So far, the species and value calculation of mature livestock ( > 1 year old) in respondents’ households are listed as follows: TABLE I. THE SPECIES AND VALUE CALCULATION OF MATURE LIVESTOCK ( > 1 YEAR OLD) IN RESPONDENTS’ HOUSEHOLDS Minimum amount Maximum amount Household average amount Total value ($) Average value ($) Cattle 2 16 7.2 7169.23 358.5 Yaks 0 40 3.9 1769.23 88.5 Buffalos 0 0 0 0 0