Counting chickens after they hatch in the desert
By Wu Yong  China Daily 09/19/2007 page12

Ecologist Jiang Gaoming with the chickens he raises in Inner Mongolia as part of his research on how to prevent further desertification of the arid region's grasslands. Jiang Dong

Overgrazing and population boom have shrunk the grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region over the past few decades. Wu Yong talks to some ecologists and herdsmen to find out how the damage can be undone

The 50-year-old Mongolian herdsman had been rearing cows and sheep since his teenage days in Bayinhushu, a traditional Mongolian village 180 km northeast of Beijing. He used to live almost the same life his father and grandfather had done; in fact it was not very different from even his ancestors a thousand years ago.

But all that changed when Nason-Orto bought 1,000 chicks from a neighboring city in May. And why did he do that? "Times are changing," he says. "There are more people and less grass (which means smaller areas to graze livestock) today. We have to cope with that."

But that doesn't mean he has given up rearing livestock. A Mongolian herdsman still cannot think of it, he says. But Nason-Orto also thinks a bit differently from many of his fellow herdsmen, and his courage to do so comes from ecologist Jiang Gaoming of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Jiang came to Bayinhushu seven years ago to conduct research on desertification. He has rented part of Nason-Orto's house and transformed it into his research base. Bayinhushu is right in the middle of Otindag in Xilingol League. Otindag is one of the four largest sand lands in the country, the others being Horqin, Moo-Os and Hulun Boir, and all of them are in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Their combined area is 15 million hectares (150,000 sq km), or 60 percent of the UK's total area.

The grasslands have degraded in the past few decades and the pace of desertification has increased. And Jiang's study shows Otindag's population has risen from about 500 in 1947 to 134,000 today. "More people mean more livestock, and the increase in the number of sheep and goats is especially harmful to the desert ecosystem," says Jiang.

It can damage the fragile eco-system and lead to large-scale desertification, posing a threat to Beijing and North China. "You have to light candles in the house during sandstorms. During such times, I cannot help thinking what our children will eat if the situation keeps worsening by the day," says Nason-Orto.

That's why the CAS was asked to conduct a thorough study on desertification and find ways to check the dangerous trend. "The main idea is to reduce the number of livestock and stop open grazing to allow nature to restore the grasslands to their natural state," Jiang says.

Not surprisingly, Bayinhushu's ecology has improved significantly because of CAS's efforts over the past seven years. Many animals and birds, including wolves, roes, gray cranes and pheasants, have returned to the area. But Jiang dare not relax. "This is a sensitive time because we have just brought degradation under control. Now we have to find a way to improve the herdsmen's living standard, or they will return to their old ways, over-exploiting the land all over again," Jiang says.

That's why finding other means to raise herdsmen's income is on top of Jiang's agenda. "We should help them live a better life, or we'll never succeed in the battle against desertification." Jiang's prescription for that is to bring in chickens from South China's farms. "This is a perfect solution. It will prevent further deterioration of the grasslands, raise herdsmen's living standard and provide safe food."

"The vast expanses of grasslands can easily house tens of millions of chickens. They can become the cash cows for the herdsmen," Jiang says. What's more important is that they don't need grass as fodder.

Besides, the environmentally friendly grassland chickens won't need antibiotics and other medicines. They have to be subjected to regular inspections to check the outbreak of any disease, though. "They will grow into much healthier chickens than those confined to shabby farms elsewhere. And gourmets can enjoy the difference in taste when they bite into these chickens," Jiang says.

The potential is great, Jiang says. Take Nason-Orto for example. He has 120 hectares of grassland and just 1,000 chickens on a 27-hectare plot behind his house. He spent 10,000 yuan ($1,324) to build a coop. And his total expenditure to buy the chicks and feed them for a year will be less than 20,000 yuan. "But this autumn, he can earn 30,000-40,000 yuan from them."

The ecologist now plans to introduce such grassland chickens and eggs to Beijing. "I believe this will not only help increase herdsmen's income, but also provide safe food for city dwellers. A big percentage of chicken and eggs that China needs can come from the grasslands."

But it would be long before this comes true, and Jiang knows that. His first task is to persuade the herdsmen who have reared cows for generations to shift to chicken farming.

Nason-Orto seems to like the idea of raising chickens. "It seems raising chickens is easier than rearing cows," he says. He had to feed the chicks three times a day during the first two months. Now he feeds them only twice a day because they have grown and can find food, such as insects and seeds, on the grassland.

Nason-Orto's enthusiasm has rubbed off other villagers, or so it seems, for they too are trying their hand at chicken farming. In fact, cumulatively they are raising more than 4,000 chickens at present, though most of them have no more than 100 each.

But raising chickens and making money out of it are two different things for the herdsmen. Even Nason-Orto is not so sure of earning a good profit from his venture. One of Nason-Orto's neighbors says: "I know some villagers are raising chickens and maybe they can make some money too. But I don't like doing so because the chicks are dirty compared to cows."

Another big concern is bird flu. "There's a great danger of chickens coming into contact with wild birds on the grasslands. We should take this into consideration," says a World Health Organization (WHO) official.

Some of Jiang's CAS colleagues, too, doubt whether his plan will be successful. "He is a scientist, not a jack of all trades. Business is best left to entrepreneurs," says CAS professor Lin Guanghui.

But Jiang argues that herdsmen will change their mind in the end. "It won't be a cakewalk. But I believe they will follow in the footsteps of Nason-Orto when he starts making money."

And bird flu, he says, can be prevented through strict inspection and quarantine regulations once large-scale chicken farming begins. "There's danger everywhere. The only thing we can do is make a better choice, and grasslands are such a choice to rear healthy chickens and eggs."

He dismisses arguments on his "business idea", too. "Facts speak louder than words. You will never succeed if you don't befriend the villagers and help them solve their problems. Scientific research is not meant to be published in journals only; it should be put into practice to benefit the people."

But he is worried about how to market the high-end grassland chickens and eggs. "Grassland chickens will obviously cost more. But the point is nobody knows their benefits," so buyers will be few.

To solve this problem, he is negotiating with some entrepreneurs to set up green food chain stores in cities. "I want herdsmen, businessmen and consumers all to benefit from this," Jiang says.

 

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