“Coastal Grass Belt” as Paradigm for Grass-based Livestock Husbandry around Bohai Bay

Subjects: Other Disciplines >> Synthetic discipline submitted time 2023-03-28 Cooperative journals: 《中国科学院院刊》

侯瑞星 欧阳竹 刘振 来剑斌 孙志刚 李永华 李宏伟 李振声 李静

Abstract： One of the burning questions of food security in current China is how to produce sufficient forage products and animal feeds. The limited arable land has to be devoted to cereal production, and exploring more terrestrial land is a prerequisite for the sustainable forage production and the development of grass-based livestock husbandry. Bohai rim is consist of coastal line of the North China Plain, which has a significant amount of medium-low yielding fields and unutilized saline-alkali land as well as intensive livestock production. In this study, a new concept of “Coastal Grass Belt”, proposed by LI Zhensheng, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was introduced, which addresses how to develop grass/forage farming system according to the severity of salinity. This concept can not only improve soil quality but also provide sufficient forage for livestock. Meanwhile, the concept is also aligned with China’s national strategies of storing grain in land and in agricultural technology to ensure the self-sufficiency of important agricultural products and the integration of the security of land and marine ecosystems. This paper provides a detailed description of the “Coastal Grass Belt” concept, elaborates its goals, key scientific issues and innovative modes, and analyzes the ecological environmental and economic-industrial benefits. Finally, the much-needed innovation platforms, agro-industry modes and policies for the development of “Coastal Grass Belt” are discussed.

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