Zhannang Community Holistic Development Project
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Location: Jiumai & Jilin Village, Zhanang County, Tibet
No. of recipient households : 120
No. of animals given: 240 high qualified dairy cattle
No. of pass-on families: 120
Under- developed economy in ethnic minorities villages
Zhanang County is located in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, 140 km from the capital city of Lhasa with the shrubbery coverage of 36% and the average altitude of over 3620m. The extreme cold, coupled with severe and erratic weather patterns, has produced harsh ecological conditions in the region. Marketing practice is poor due to the lack of marketing sense and inconvenient transportation. In addition, frequent natural disasters are the major cause of poverty and have plagued the area seriously. As a result, Zhanang has become one of the most under- developed areas in China.
Jiumai Village and Jilin Village in Zhanang County are the target communities of this project in Tibet. Jiumai village and Jilin village fully inhabited with ethnic Tibetans are located 10 kilometers from the centre of Zhanang County. Jiumai Village has 185 households with a population of 933. The total cultivated land area is 310 acres and there are 32 acres of artificial pasture land and 3000 animals. In 2008, the average annual cash income per capita was RMB700. Jilin village has 232 households with a population of 999 and 2360 animals. The total cultivated land area is 288 acres, and there are 16 acres of artificial pasture land and the average annual cash income per capita was RMB800. The main income resource was coming from agriculture.
Ending Poverty with high- quality dairy cattle & training
Aiming at increasing the income of project families through improving milk production by fine-bred cattle, this project's focus is on enhancing farmers' knowledge, renewing their animal husbandry skills, and improving the eco-environment for the cattle. Heifer has worked out a development plan with the project families so as to solve the various problems they met. Once project families decided to develop the breeding of the fine-bred dairy cattle as their main industry, Heifer helped introduce some high-quality dairy cattle and sound husbandry skills to the communities. To improve the environment, the government has also provided matching fund for building biogas facilities which one due for completion within three years.
"Passing on the Gift" lifts 240 families out of poverty
This project trains 120 impoverished Tibetan households on animal husbandry and pasture management skills after the establishment of 3 Self- Help Groups in Jiumai and Jilin Village respectively. More training will be provided throughout the project period, covering animal management, community development, environmental protection and gender equity. The ultimate goal of the project is to build a sustainable healthy living environment for the project families by Heifer's value based community development approach. Another 120 families will benefit through "Passing on the Gift".
Project story- Caring & Sharing within Project Communities in Tibet