Gansu to further promote acclaimed cooperative model

Gongbao said the model works because members in the cooperative can share their experiences, which they can take advantage of to realize economic benefits. Furthermore, it helps maintain stability and promotes ethnic unity.

"There used to be conflicts and a lack of unity among neighbors in grassland management. But now, with reasonable management and equal distribution, all conflicts have been resolved," he said.

The Lao'erdu Cooperative case, with the title "From a Household Initiative to a Cooperative Model: Empowering Tibetan Families in China", was selected as one of the 12 successful cases worldwide during the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, which was held in Italy in September.

The core of the case is to maximize the integration efficiency of grassland, livestock and labor resources in cooperatives through technological empowerment, with the support of governments at all levels.

It fully embodies the four aspirations of the FAO — better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life.

During the conference, the Lao'erdu case was invited to be presented for three days at the FAO headquarters in Rome, demonstrating the remarkable development achievements China has made in its high-altitude pastoral areas over the years.

The case, aiming to promote the transformation and implementation of scientific research achievements and assist in the vitalization of pastoral areas and rural areas, was jointly implemented and promoted by Long Ruijun, deputy director of the expert group on the Transformation of Grassland Animal Husbandry Development Model and High Quality Development Technology initiative in Gannan prefecture, and his team and related government departments.

Long, an internationally renowned yak expert and professor at Lanzhou University, and his team have been persistently engaged in basic and applied research as well as practical promotion work on the frontlines of grassland pastoral areas on Asian plateaus.

Long has also been paying a great deal of attention to community life and social development in the high-altitude pastoral areas.

Working with the Lao'erdu Cooperative, Long and his team have provided long-term scientific guidance and targeted research for the project's planning, production, breeding, management, operation, sales, and emission reductions.

Gongbao, the Lao'erdu cooperative's director, said that before joining cooperatives, many households had to develop on their own but lacked experience.