Background Grassland degradation caused by overgrazing poses a threat to both animal husbandry and environmental sustainability in most semi-arid areas especially north China. Although the Chinese Government has made huge efforts to restore degraded grasslands, a considerable attempt has unfortunately failed due to an inadequate consideration of economic benefits to local communities. Methodology/Principal Findings A controlled field experiment was conducted to test our hypothesis that utilizing natural grasslands as both habitat and feed resources for chickens and replacing the traditional husbandry system with chicken farming would increase environmental sustainability and raise income. Aboveground plant biomass elevated from 25 g m?2 for grazing sheep to 84 g m?2 for chicken farming. In contrast to the fenced (unstocked) grassland, chicken farming did not significantly decrease aboveground plant biomass, but did increase the root biomass by 60% (p<0.01). Compared with traditional sheep grazing, chicken farming significantly improved soil surface water content (0–10 cm), from 5% to 15%. Chicken farming did not affect the soil bulk density, while the traditional sheep grazing increased the soil bulk density in the 0–10 cm soil layer by 35% of the control (p<0.05). Most importantly, the economic income of local herdsmen has been raised about six times compared with the traditional practice of raising sheep. Ecologically, such an innovative solution allowed large degraded grasslands to naturally regenerate. Grasslands also provided a high quality organic poultry product which could be marketed in big cities. Conclusion/Significance Chicken farming is an innovative alternative strategy for increasing environmental sustainability and economic income, rather than a challenge to the traditional nomadic pastoral system. Our approach might be technically applicable to other large degraded grasslands of the world, especially in China.
References
[1]
Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy/Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University (2010) Environmental Performance Index (EPI) Report in 2010. Available: www.yale.edu/epi/files/2010EPI text.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan.
[2]
China's State Environmental Protection Administration (2003) Report on the state of the environment in China 2002: Climate and natural disasters. China's State Environmental Protection Administration web site Available: http://www.sepa.gov.cn/english/SOE/soech?ina2002/disaster.htm.
[3]
Yang X, Zhang K, Jia B, Ci L (2005) Desertification assessment in China: An overview. Journal of Arid Environments 63: 517–531.
[4]
Zhao H, Zhou R, Zhang T, Zhao X (2006) Effects of desertification on soil and crop growth properties in Horqin sandy cropland of Inner Mongolia, north China. Soil Tillage Research 87: 175–185.
[5]
Wang G, Dong Z, Zhang J, Liu L (2004) Modern dust storms in China: an overview. Journal of Arid Environments 58: 559–574.
[6]
Jing D (2002) Sandstorms in Beijing-occurrence, protection and control. Department of Land Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). Master of Science Degree Thesis. Supervisor: Jan-Erik Gustafsson.
[7]
Wang G, Tuo W, Du M (2004) Flux and composition of wind-eroded dust from different landscapes of an arid inland river basin in north-western China. Journal of Arid Environments 58: 373–385.
[8]
National Environmental Protection General Agency (2005) China Environmental Condition Bulletin 2005. Available: www.zhb.gov.cn [in Chinese].
[9]
Akiyama T, Kawamura K (2007) Grassland degradation in China: Methods of monitoring, management and restoration. Grassland Science 53: 1–17.
[10]
MAC (Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary & General Station of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary of Ministry of Agriculture of China) (1996) Rangeland Resources of China. China Science and Technology Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]
[11]
Du QL (2006) Sustainable development strategies of the grassland industry in China. China Agriculture Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]
[12]
Wu JG, Loucks O (1992) Grasslands and Grassland Sciences in Northern China (ed. US National Research Council). National Academy Press, Washington DC. pp: 67–84.
[13]
Kawamura K, Akiyama T, Yokota H, Tsutsumi M, Yasuda T, et al. (2005) Comparing MODIS vegetation indices with AVHRR NDVI for monitoring the forage quantity and quality in Inner Mongolia grassland, China. Grassland Science 51: 33–40.
[14]
Li WJ, Zhang Q (2009) Reading Puzzledom of Grassland-Recognizing the Questions of Management and Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Grassland [in Chinese]. Economic Sciences Press, Beijing.
[15]
Stubbendieck J, Tunnell S (2008) Seventy-eight years of vegetation dynamics in a Sandhills Grassland. Natural Areas Journal 28: 58–65.
[16]
Jiang GM, Liu MZ, Niu SL, Li YG, Peng Y, et al. (2011) Ten-year-period demonstration project in Hunshandake Sandland and prospect for the future development of eco-stock farming industry. Science and Technology Review 29: 19–25.
[17]
Jiang GM (2006) A new future for China's grasslands. China Dialogue Retrieved 18 December 2006.
[18]
Liu MZ, Jiang GM, Li G, Li YG, Gao LM, et al. (2004) Control of sandstorms in Inner Mongolia, China. Environmental Conservation 31: 269–273.
[19]
Normile D (2007) Getting at the roots of killer dust storms. Science 317: 314–316.
[20]
Ma SW, Ma YM, Yao HL, Wang LH, Yao YF (1998) Eremology. Inner Mongolia People's Press, Hohhot.
[21]
Curtis JT (1959) The Vegetation of Wisconsin: an ordination of plant communities. University Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. 657pp.
[22]
Smucker AJM, McBurney SL, Srivastava AK (1982) Quantitative separation of roots from compacted soil profiles by the hydropneumatic elutriation system. Agronomy Journal 74: 500–503.
[23]
Boehm W (1979) Methods of studying root systems. Springer-Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg, Germany. 188 pp.
[24]
Brown L, Hindmarsh R, Mcgregor R (2001) Dynamic Agriculture Book Three (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Book Company, Sydney.
[25]
Wuyun TN, Li YL, Jiang GM, Li Y, Wu GL, et al. (2010) Comparison of productivities between chicken corn wheat organic pattern and corn wheat conventional pattern: a case study from Hongyi organic farm. Journal of Agricultural University of Hebei 33: 10–16.
[26]
Glantz M (2003) Climate Affairs: a Primer. Washington, DC: Island Press.
[27]
Liu MZ, Jiang GM, Yu SL, Li YG, Li G (2009) The role of soil seed banks in natural restoration of the degraded Hunshandake Sandlands, Northern China. Restoration Ecology 17: 127–136.
[28]
Chen S, Chen J, Lin G, Zhang W, Miao H, et al. (2009) Energy balance and partitioning in Inner Mongolia steppe ecosystems with different land use types. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 149: 1800–1809.
[29]
China Stock Breeding Year book Edition Committee (2004) The Yearbook of China's Stockbreeding 2004 [in Chinese]. (China Agriculture Press, Beijing).
[30]
Jiang GM (2007) The truth about dead chicken. China Dialogue Retrieved June 14, 2007.
[31]
Li G, Jiang GM, Li YG, Liu MZ, Peng Y, et al. (2007) A new approach to the fight against desertification in Inner Mongolia. Environmental Conservation 34: 95–97.
[32]
Wang BX, Jiang GM (2011) Effect of chicken litter on grassland productivity and environemental quality in a sandland ecosystem. Acta Ecologica Sinica 31: 14–23.