Structure And Economic Benefit Of Grassland And Livestock Industry In Qingyang,Gansu Province In The Perspective Of Households

Qingyang is located in the east of Gansu province,which is a typical dry land farming area on the Loess Plateau.In the central and southern tableland areas of Qingyang,the major crops are grains and cash crops such as wheat,corn,and apples,and in the northern hilly and gully areas,crops are mainly wheat and small grain crops.The existing crops planting structure has gradually been unable to meet the diversified needs of local residents for the food structure,and is difficult to further improve the efficiency of agricultural production.Optimizing the structure of agriculture and animal husbandry structure and coordinating the development of the grain crops,pasture,and livestock industries are efficient ways helping to improve the economic benefits of the agricultural system,and to drive the development of the rural economy.However,pasture and livestock industry in the past in Qingyang City is weak,and the development is still in the exploring stage,stable and efficient development patterns have not yet been formed.Therefore,evaluating the current development status and economic benefits of the pasture and livestock industry,and proposing ways to optimize the structure have great theoretical and practical significance for improving the efficiency of the agricultural economy and the fourteenth five-year industrial development plan.Based on the above considerations,this study firstly analyzed the development status of the grassland and livestock industry in Qingyang by visiting local governments,enterprises,and farmers;and them investigated the food,forage,and livestock production status of 198 farmers in Xifeng District in the tableland area and Huanxian County in the hilly and gully region,and finally proposed an optimized model for the coordinated development of grain crops,pasture and livestock based on the characteristics of the agricultural resources in the two regions.The main results are as follows:(1)In Qingyang City,it is rich in grass and livestock resources,but the optimal utilization model of natural and cultivated grassland is not yet mature.The natural grassland in Qingyang City is 19.2004 million mu,accounting for 46.9% of the total land area;the usable grassland area is 10.354 million mu,accounting for 54.2% of the total grassland area.The wild pastures belong to 98 families,384 genera,and 749 species.In 2019,they produced 2.858 billion kilograms of fresh grass approximately,with a carrying capacity of 1,988,800 sheep units.The remaining area of alfalfa in the city has reached 3.52 million mu,and 240 alfalfa belts are planted contiguously,54 of which are over 500 mu,and 18 of which are over 1,000 mu.At present,the development and utilization of natural grassland is not enough,the standardization of healthy livestock breeding mode combining grazing and house feeding is low,and the promotion area is small.(2)The grain and forage planting structure and livestock breeding preference of househoulds in Huanxian County and Xifeng District are quite different.Farmers prefer to plant alfalfa,oats and other forage crops while planting grain crops such as wheat,corn.Huanxian County where there is a higher rate of livestock breeding,especially sheep breeding,while the househoulds in Xifeng District mainly raise cattle and pigs.In Xifeng District,each household plants an average of 4.3 mu of grain,and an average 16.7 mu per household in Huanxian County.In Xifeng District,each household plants an average of 0.27 mu of forage crops,and an average of 7.11 mu per household in Huanxian County.Xifeng District is the capital of Qingyang City,with high urbanization and the main source of income from non-agricultural income for farmers,while the economic development in Huanxian County is obviously lagging behind Xifeng District,and its agricultural income occupies a leading position in the income of farmers.Therefore,the average annual total income of farmers in Xifeng District is higher than that of farmers in Huanxain County,but farmers in Huanxian County have higher agricultural incomes than farmers in Xifeng.The income from grain planting,forage planting,and livestock breeding in Huanxain County is higher than that of farmers in Xifeng,while the non-agricultural income is relatively higher in Xifeng.(3)It is recommended to expand the planting area of cultivated grasslands,promote grass planting in fruit gardens,and develop a grain-grass-fruit-livestock coupled agriculture and animal husbandry production model by adopting the favorable topography and resource conditions in Xifeng District and other dry Loess Plateau areas.Planting high-quality pastures such as oats and alfalfa in Huanxian county and other mountainous areas,and combing the advantages of natural grasslands to develop a farming and animal husbandry production model that combines grazing and house feeding are also recommended,to realize the diversification of agricultural and animal husbandry products and the maximization of economic benefits.It is also suggested to strengthen the propaganda of public opinion,actively promote the development process of industrialization,support the leading enterprises,and create a new production model of grass and pasture industry featuring specialized production,large-scale planting,corporate management,characteristic branding,and marketing.