Butuo County Poverty Alleviation Project
Location: Butuo County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
No. of Recipients households: 162
No. of pass-on families: 162
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture is located in the Liangshan Mountains in Sichuan Province. Most mountainous communities suffer from poverty with annual average incomes of under RMB1000 (US $140) and wish to develop through livestock raising. This prefecture is also one of China¡¦s regions that are most affected by drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infection.
Located in the center of the Liangshan Mountains, Butuo County is a mountainous area, with the highest hitting an altitude of 3,891 meters above sea level. The total population is 138,500, among which the Yi people comprise 94% of the total population. The per capita annual income of target communities is RMB607-698 (USD85-97).
The whole county has 194,000 acres of grassland, which provide rich resources for livestock development. Yet the current livestock management practices result in pollution, long production cycles, high costs, low slaughtering rates of livestock and low marketing rates of fattened stock. Some local farmers keep animals inside their houses rather than in separate animal barns, causing health problems for both animals and human beings.
Animal husbandry revenue accounts for 30-40% of the total agricultural output of the region. Every year about 1,100 people (mostly men) go to cities for short-term jobs. There is a small population of drug addicts, of whom half are HIV positive, and three deaths have been confirmed.
Heifer is assisting each of the 162 recipient families to purchase fine quality animals (pigs, goats or cattle according to farmer's choice). Through this project, it is hoped that it will help to improve food quality, increase annual income, and contribute to an improved quality of life through improved nutrition. Intensive training will be conducted throughout the project region, focusing on technical topics such as animal husbandry, along with more personal issues such as HIV/AIDS education, hygiene, health and environment protection.