Making Tibet Food Secure : Assessment of Scenarios

Contents: Foreword. Executive summary. Glossary. I. Introduction: 1. Concept and definitions of food security used. 2. Assessment of scenarios of food security. 3. Food supply and demand analysis. 4. The need for the study. II. Highland and people: 1. The geographic location and administrative regions of Tibet. 2. The physiogeographic divisions and climate types of Tibet. 3. Main agro-ecological zones in Tibet. 4. Land resources. 5. Foods and food production. 6. The people and the population. III. Access to food: 1. Food production and supply. 2. Food consumption. 3. Discussion and conclusions. IV. Major food production systems: 1. Delineating food-production systems. V. Zonal variations in production of major foods: 1. Methodology. 2. Zonal variations and spatial dynamics of per capita calorie and protein availability. 3. Zonal variations and spatial dynamics of per capita production of cereals. 4. Zonal variations and spatial dynamics of per capita meat and milk production. VI. Food production changes over time: 1. Evolution and trends in agricultural structure. 2. Trends in production of cereals and oilseed. 3. Analysis of factors influencing production of cereals and rape seed. 4. Changing trends in meat and milk production. VII. Changing food preferences and demands: 1. Population growth. 2. Trends in income and level of consumption. 3. Changing trends in food consumption and preferences. 4. Trends in food demand. 5. Zonal variations in food demand. VIII. Food demand-supply variations: 1. Total food production and food demand. 2. Production and demand balance of main food items. 3. Food supply and demand between farming systems and food production systems. IX. Potential to enhance food production: 1. Potential productivity of cropland. 2. Potential productivity of crops. 3. Prospects and potential of various crops. 4. Vegetable and fruit production potential. 5. Potential food production from wild plants. 6. Realising production potentials through technological inputs. 7. Livestock production potential. 8. Potential fishing production. 9. Food processing and adding value. X. Possibilities for a food secure Tibet: 1. Rural reforms and agricultural development policies. 2. Emerging issues in agricultural development. 3. Challenges for sustainable food security. 4. Opportunities for making Tibet food secure. References.

From the foreword: The Tibetan plateau is a vast area of soaring mountains, moving glaciers, high altitude plains, turquoise lakes, and steep gorges. This high mountain area covers over one-third of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) and one-fifth of the area of China, along with smaller parts of most neighbouring countries in the region. The great rivers of Asia originate in this area, including: the Brahmhaputra (Yalongzanpo), the Ganges/Pong Qu, the Indus (Shiquan He), the Mekong (Lancang), the Yangtze, and the Yellow rivers. Averaging around 4,000 metres above sea level, much of the central and western parts of the Tibetan plateau receive limited rainfall. Low temperatures and limited arable land also constrain the growing season.

The Tibet autonomous region of China occupies 1.2 million square kilometers of this region with more than 2.5 million Tibetan inhabitants. Although agricultural and pastoral systems have evolved over the millennia to provide uniquely adapted subsistence livelihoods, most of the population depends on food production from environmentally fragile and socioeconomically marginal production systems. Livelihoods are vulnerable to weather and outside forces, and subsistence depends on combining agriculture with pastoralism and trade."