| Based on system coupling theory, this study examined the agricultural and pastoral production patterns of the households both in agricultural farming region and animal husbandry region. By calculating and analyzing the system coupling and system contrary, comparing the existing patterns, some typical agro-pastoral system coupling patterns were recommended. The designing for maximum system coupling functioning efficiency was also performed according to the emergy analysis method. The vast amount data sets used in this study included: (1) macro-statistical data of agriculture and animal husbandry; (2) data collected for the research project of dry land agriculture in northern China; (3) some basic data about the grassland in Inner Mongolia; (4) The observation data for animal husbandry meteorology. Following are the main conclusions obtained from this study. In the Inner Mongolian section of the agro-pastoral ecotone in northern China, the probability of years in which the plantation of forage plants are classified as suitable or hypo-suitable are 65%, while in the other 35% years, the cultivation of forage plants are unsuitable. In more than 77% years, the plantation of grain crops is classified as unsuitable. The existing plantation system in the study area violated the law of ecological adaptability, causing the system contrary in the interface between surface environment and vegetation. Most land in the typical grassland region has been exploited into agricultural fields, while the land in desert grassland region was remained due to its rigid environmental condition. The current spatial distribution of land use pattern is that agricultural fields dominates agro-ecotone, mosaic distribution of agricultural fields and pasture in agro-pastoral ecotone, and prataculture system dominates the pastoral ecotone. The existing land use pattern in the study area is deviated from a suitable plant production system that could accord to its environment. The grain crop dominated agro-system could cause severe soil erosion and accelerate land desertification. The wind erosion could be reduced by 76.3% if the agricultural field is restored to team pasture. The economic return of team pasture could be twice as much of the grain crops. The herbivorous livestock mainly distributed in the natural grassland region. The livestock products from the natural grassland is not only the main income source of the macro pastoral economy, but also the staple family income of pastoral household. The sustainable utilization of natural grassland has been and will still be the base of a healthy ecological and economic system in this region. The current livestock carrying capacity in the pastoral region is 1.15 ~ 2.60 times of its reasonable capacity, but the current capacities in a few agricultural counties/banners are about 70% of their reasonable capacities, while in most of the agricultural counties/banners, the current carrying capacity are only 35% of their reasonable values or even less. The average net income of the households with crop cultivation pattern is about 600~1500 Yuan per capita per annum. The net profit of raising sheep with local breeding and fattening pattern is 5.6 Yuan per sheep per annum. The net profit of raising beef cattle with local breeding and fattening pattern is 217.0 Yuan per cattle per annum. The low net profit with local breeding and fattening pattern is the main reason for the low carrying capacity of herbivorous livestock found in agricultural region. The development of the transferred fattening and agro-pastoral coupling pattern has been enhanced by its high economic benefit. The increase of net income by this pattern is mainly contributed to the price increase per unit weight, the body weight increase of individual animal, and the slaughter rate increase of the livestock in agricultural region comparing to those in pastoral region. The net profit of raising sheep with transferred fattening pattern was 20 times of that with local fattening pattern in 2002.
|
PDF Full Text Request