Agriculture has witnessed stable development thanks
to application of science and technology. Tibet now has
225,000 hectares of cultivated land. With the development of
modern agroscience and technology, the traditional farming
method has been replaced by modern techniques, such as
introducing improved strains, improving soil quality,
building water conservancy projects, harnessing rivers,
intensive cultivation, rational application of chemical
fertilizers and agricultural chemicals. Gone are the days
when Lamas were asked to pray for insects in the fields to
be killed.
In 1990, the region carried out a
project to establish four science and technology
demonstration counties (cities) -- Gyangze, Xigaze, Lhunzhub
and Gonggar. Their combined sown area of more than 30,000
hectares for grain crops accounted for 16.1 percent of the
region's total. Grain yield totaled 152.7 million kg,
equalling 27.5 percent of the total, an increase of 24.6
percent or 30 million kg over the previous year. Moreover,
grain output reached a record of 50 million kg in Gyangze
and Xigaze. The 1995 total grain output in Tibet registered
700 million kg. All these, achieved without adding more
cultivated land, would have been impossible without the
contribution of science and technology.
While
promoting agroscientific research, efforts have been made to
breed improved seeds, transform the cultivation system,
obtain a detailed survey of agricultural resources and soil,
investigate the land use situation, develop a systematic
cultivation, transform medium- and low-yield farmland, and
popularize agrotechniques for dry-land farming. The
popularization of winter wheat planting, for example, is an
important step forward. The efforts made in changing the old
cultivation system, spreading improved strains and
increasing grain production have brought fundamental changes
in agricultural production, and moreover, laid a solid
foundation for successive bumper grain harvests.
In 1977, the region's total grain output
exceeded 500 million kg. At the same time, scientific
workers also recorded tremendous progress in improving basic
soil fertility through biotechnological means, the use of
fertilizers, and comprehensive prevention and control of
plant weeds, diseases and insect pests. Research results
such as the Survey of Agriculture-related Weeds, Diseases
and Insect Pests and Their Natural Enemy Resources in Tibet
and the Collections of Tibetan Crops Resources won awards
for science and technology progress from the state and the
autonomous region respectively. Studies on Comprehensive
Survey and Use of Land Resources in the Tibet Autonomous
Region filled vital gaps in knowledge of available land
resources on the plateau, leading to the first establishment
of the alpine soil order and classification of the soil
system throughout the plateau. Research results, which
attained advanced international level, won a special prize
for science and technology progress from the autonomous
region in 1993 and a second-class prize from the state in
1995. The Study on Systematic Cultivation Techniques for
High-Yield Wheat Crops was demonstrated in areas in the
Yarlung Zangbo, Lhasa, Nyang Qu and Nyang river valleys.
Based on regional cultivation and systematic management, the
experiments integrated study with demonstration and
popularization to create systematic scientific research
materials.
Three years of research covered
77,200 hectares of systematic cultivated area which produced
per-hectare grain yield of 5,500 kg per season. The result
was a total increase of over 101.67 million kg of grain,
producing more than 60.51 million yuan of net income. In
particular, the study of systematic cultivation of winter
and spring qingke barley produced tangible economic, social
and ecological returns.
In the final decade of
this century, Tibet is undertaking a significant Three-River
Project--comprehensive development of the middle reaches of
the Yarlung Zangbo, Lhasa and Nyang rivers, which will cost
1 billion yuan from the state. From 1991 to June 1995, the
state had invested a total of 507.5 million yuan, and nearly
80 projects were completed, laying a solid foundation for
further development. A decade of efforts will create four
bases for commercial grain; light industry, textiles and
handicrafts; livestock products, vegetables and non-staple
foods; and scientific and technological demonstration.
Ecological and economic returns in the area will reach a
high level. This long-term program, the largest ever in
Tibet, will have far-reaching socio-economic significance.
Nowadays, the region's agricultural production
has largely been mechanized, with the aggregate power of
farm machinery exceeding 500,000 kw. The per-capita power of
farmers is nearly 0.6 kw, a rate close to the average for
inland rural areas. The mechanized ploughed area accounts
for 25 percent of the region's total, and the sown area 65
percent, both equivalent to inland rural levels. Tibet today
has abandoned backward and primitive agriculture to form an
initial system based on modern science and technology.
One of the five large pastoral areas in the
country, Tibet boasts 82.07 million hectares of grassland,
70.77 million hectares of which can be used to raise various
kinds of domestic animals totalling 22.8 million. Animal
husbandry is a basic and vital industry for the local
economy and the growing prosperity of Tibetan people.
Livestock products are key materials for both national
handicraft and processing industries, and an important
source of export earnings. Over the past four decades, the
government has paid great attention to livestock farming.
Scientific research has achieved major results in selecting
and breeding animal varieties, training veterinary surgeons
and building up the grasslands.
Yaks, a symbol
of highland animal husbandry, have long been trained on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and are deeply loved as a totem of
Tibetan ethnic group. In return, yaks, as highland
treasures, are raising the Tibetan people. In recent years,
however, the variety of yaks has seriously deteriorated,
directly influencing output and quality. Therefore, much
effort has gone into seeking improvements. Linzhou County,
in particular, is playing a key role in the test and
manufacture of frozen yak semen, as well as the study and
practice of selective breeding, in the process creating
614,000 yuan of profits. The economic returns are of great
significance to Tibetan livestock farming.
The
spread of the Lhasa white chicken has solved the
reproductive problem of high-yield egg-laying chickens under
highland conditions and formed an ideal egg-oriented breed.
These efforts have solved the supply problem of egg and
chicken meat, enriching the diet and improving people's
lives. Science and technology in animal husbandry has made
an important contribution to the region's poultry husbandry.
A breakthrough has been made in the study of
the anal skin cancer in goat, opening a new way to cure skin
cancer of domestic animals with medicinal
herbs.
In the light of actual local conditions,
scientific workers have given priority to the grass sector
to introduce improved herbage and fodder, providing rich and
reliable materials for artificial planting of forage grass.
More than 1,000 hectares of land have been planted to help
solve grass shortages in winter and spring.
In
addition, cattle raising has a long history in Tibet. It has
a multiple use of milk, meat and working. Tangible results
have been made in improving the variety and raising
production properties since 1960. The creating of fine
breeds has opened the way for the people to become
prosperous. The breeding of half-fine-wooled sheep has laid
a solid foundation for creating a new variety. Production of
formula feed has begun. Fish meal and additive production
has bridged gaps in Tibetan fodder science and technology.
The work of animal protection has basically reached the
standard level.
|