Commissioned by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology of LZU and Gansu Agricultural Bureau jointly organized the "Grazing Management and Conservation Agriculture” Workshop from August 2 to 8. 12 representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural University, Federation of Grassland Users and Village Organizations of the Republic of Tajikistan attended the training.
Prof. Hou Fujiang, Dean of School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology (LZU), Zhang Luhai, senior engineer from the headquarters of the Agricultural Machinery Station of Gansu, and Hafiz Muminjanov, representative of FAO Office in Central Asia delivered the welcome speeches respectively in the opening ceremony, chaired by Prof. Li Chunjie, deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems (LZU) on August 3.
Experts from the headquarters of the Agricultural Machinery Station of Gansu and School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology gave lectures on development and application of conservation tillage in Gansu Province, forage crop resistance research and application, grassland rodent and poisonous weed control, disease control of pasture plants and grassland grazing management, etc. Trainees and experts conducted a lively discussion during lectures. After that, all the students visited the State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems (LZU).
The Trainees went to visit Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture from August 4 to 5. In Luqu County, participants visited plots of the Grassland Management and Usage Project with the National Science and Technology Support undertaken by School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology (LZU), and the local herdsman to make an investigation about grassland use and policy support, life changes and other issues. In Xiahe County, they visited the "Cooperative of Livestock" for the development of China's animal husbandry in recent years and they also talked with cooperative staff in the aspect of yak meat and milk processing, product cost and sales.
Trainees went to Qingyang City, Gansu Province from August 6 to 8. On August 6, they visited the Devang Farming Cooperative in Xifeng and learnt the farm size, farming methods, business methods, and economic benefits from the local director who showed visitors the new model to "establish and operate the farm as a support and ultimately achieve the joint operation of farmers and farms based on family-run production”. On August 7, all the students arrived at the Qingyang Loess Plateau Experiment Station of LZU in Shishe County of Xifeng district, visited the decade-long conservation tillage crop rotation experiment, the demonstration area of high-quality coupled production of fruit-grass-livestock of research and areas, infrastructure and related equipments of grass crop rotation system and other projects. Then they went go with visits to "demonstration field of subsoiling technology of farm machinery” and "demonstration field of conservation tillage with three usages of a film" in Qingyang County.
After six days of training and study, trainees from Tajikistan gained much and expressed appreciation for the high level researches of LZU in grassland management and conservation agriculture, and looked forward to further strengthening cooperation with LZU researchers, extension workers and cooperatives. This is the second time for the School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology (LZU) and the Republic of Tajikistan to jointly organize the workshop on grassland management following the first one in 2012.
(Translated by Li Yafeng; proofread by Sissi Xu)
