Environment Stewardship in Sustainable Livestock Development

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Environment Stewardship in Sustainable Livestock
Development

• Shao Wen
• Heifer International China Office, Chengdu

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Contents

• Background of Heifer China
• Sustainable livestock development
• Environmental stewardship
• Way forward

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Background of Heifer China
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Background of Heifer China

• Goal
• Progress
• Cornerstones
• ---Improving the environment

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Heifer China Vision Statement
???????,?????????
??(712-770),???????? Should I have
thousands of houses, I would shelter all the poor
and see their smiling faces. ???Thatched Cottage
Blown Away by the Autumn Gust, Du Fu (712-770)
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Mission of Heifer InternationalHeifer
International isto work with communitiesto end
hunger and povertyandcare for the earth.---
Heifer International
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The founder of Heifer International Dan West
If powdered milk can be shipped overseas
Why cant cows?
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Goal of Heifer China

• To help rural communities alleviate hunger,
  poverty and Environmental Degradation to achieve
  a sustainable livelihood with a persistent effort
  through the Heifer International value-based
  holistic development approach.
• --Heifer International China Office, 2004

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14Provinces/municipality /Autonomous Region
Xinjiang
Beijing
Qinghai
Jiangsu
Tibet
Anhui
Hubei
Sichuan
Chongqing
Jiangxi
Hunan
Guizhou
Yunnan
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HPI CORNERSTONES FOR JUST AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Passing On the Gift Accountability Sharing and
Caring Sustainability and Self-reliance Improved
Animal Management Nutrition and Income Genuine
Need and Justice
the Gender and Family Focus Improving the
Environment Full Participation
Training and Education Spirituality
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• Passing on the gifts and sharing benefits

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Passing on the Gift
Cornerstone Passing on the Gift

• Every family receiving an animal training must
  pass on an animal training
• Animal is living loan until passed along
• Recipients thus become donors, too!
• Benefits
• Sustainability
• Friendship
• Dignity
• Hope

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Progress
By the end of June, 2005, more than 50,000
farmers of 12 ethnic groups were provided with
4.37 million gift animals through passing on
the gifts.
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Not a cup, but a cow
?
?
?
?
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Sustainable livestock development(Environmental
component)
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Sustainable Livestock Development

• Sustainable Livestock Development consists of
  three interrelated key components
• economic viability,
• environmental stewardship,
• and social and equity issues.
• Integrating economic, environmental and social
  considerations in decision-making.

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Environmental component

• Every Heifer project includes an environmental
  component that helps families raise their animals
  in harmony with nature and take steps to restore
  a balanced ecology.
•  

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Objectives of SLD

• Working with an integrated system of plant and
  animal production practices,
• To satisfy human food security
• To enhance environmental quality and natural
  resources, and
• To make the most of on-farm and renewable
  resources.

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Concept 1 systematic thinking

• Why systematic thinking?
• Livestock is only one part of the whole system or
  ecosystem
• There is inter-linkages with other resources
• Intra-linkages among livestocks

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Concept 2 holistic development

• Why holistic development?
• High potential in livelihood generation
• Uncertainty in environment degradation

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Concept 3 -- agroecology
Agroecology is a scientific discipline that uses
ecological theory to study, design, manage and
evaluate agricultural systems that are productive
but also resource conserving. --Agroecology in
Action
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Strategies in agroecology, in Heifer

• How to keep their small plots of land healthy
  and renew the soil? -- planting trees and using
  organic fertilizer.
• How to practice zero or managedgrazing
  techniques, -- keeping livestock in an enclosed,
  shaded area and carrying fodder and water to them
• How to practice techniques that resist erosion--
  contour planting and terracing,
• How to use biogas units for cooking and heating
  their homes.

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• Environmental stewardship
• in
• Heifer China

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Strategies

• Technical measures
• Long-term partnership

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Selection livestock species

• Peopleparticipation of key stakeholders
• Technologyexperience, skills, barn
• Socialwillingness, interests, benefit
• Institutionallocal plan, supporting system
• Resources basegrass, weed, fodder
• Economyinput and output, market

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Natural resources management

• Resolving the conflict between human and animals
  in resources
• Making using of crops left over as fodder
• Improving/strengthening the resource base

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Insured resources base

• Forest resources
• Zeren shan
• Forestry land from Grain For Green
• Grassland
• Weeds
• Grass plantation

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Grass planting
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Grass maintenance
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Manure management

• Making comprehensive uses of resources
• Efficient recycling of organic matters in
  farming
• Control of diseases and pollutions (bio-gas,
  compost)

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Substitute for conventional fuel

• Dried animal manure as the conventional source
  of fuel
• Dependence on forest resources as fuelwood
• Biogas and solar energy

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Fuels
Manure?Solar energy?
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• Biogas-tank is used to handle animal manure
  for producing bio-gas and therefore disease
  control (?bird flu)

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• Improving soil quality
• --- Applying compost

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Compost making -- leaves as bedding
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Managing the grassland

• Improving quality of grassland
• Enhancing the quantity of grassland
• Balance between livestock and grassland

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Grassland management

• Action
• replanting,
• manure back to soil,
• zero-grazing
• rotation grazing

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Partnership with GOs and NGOs

• Integrating more financial, personnel, social,
  and technological resources into the limited
  Heifer resources
• Impact Contributing to sustainable livestock
  development in Heifer.

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Improving the living environment
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• Way forward

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1. Improving the environment

• --- Local knowledge in environment conservation
• --- Environment education at community level
• --- Enhancement in agroecology

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2. Environment conservation in INRM

• --- Environment Impact Assessment
• --- Sustainable grassland management

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3. Alliance enhancement

• --- Strengthened and diversified partnership with
  GOs and NGOs

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• Thanks
• Heifer International China Office

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