Sep 22, 2006

Shennan Prefecture in Tibet shows how to tackle poverty by adopting the policy encouraging marginal farmers to go for cash crops

By KESHAB POUDEL in Shennan Prefecture

At a time when Nepal has been passing through a very critical time in its political history with growing instability and anarchy, Nepal’s northern neighbor Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China has been witnessing tremendous changes in its all round development. Following the completion of Lhasa-Quinghai railway, the pace of development in Tibet is definite to increase much further.

Train to tibet : Promises of Prosperity

From poverty alleviation to industrialization and improvement in education and health sectors, every thing is falling into place as people living in Tibet are having enough reasons to rejoice as their living standards have shot up.

Nepal could learn many lessons from the progress made by TAR, particularly in the area of agriculture in the mountain areas. One of the reasons behind the TAR’s successful growth is its road network linking remote parts with the cities. For farmers, they have market as well as established road.

According to an official of TAR in Lhasa , Tibet ’s annual growth rate has been over 15 percent in the last few years. The visible boom in building infrastructures in rural parts of Tibet as well as in cities reveal trickle-down effects of high economic growth in TAR.

Thanks to the technological innovation and their practical use, farmers of all parts of Tibet have benefited. The introduction of Green House technologies has changed the pattern of agriculture production. Till a decade ago, farmers were subsistence-based and they produced just one crop - barley or wheat in a year. Now the situation has changed and the farmers are producing vegetables and other cash crops in all kinds of weather.

Ani, 50, a farmer of Nudong Village of Shennan Prefecture, has seen many ups and downs in her life. Her family’s monthly income was less than 500 Yuan (US$ 80) but now her income has gone five fold more reaching about 2000 Yuan (US$ 320) in a matter of few years.

Tibetan landscape : Beauty of Nature

Living in most remote parts of interior Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, Ani’s annual income has gone up now by many folds. This change was possible because of implementation of cash crop program in the area. Along with producing wheat and barely, her family now also produces various kinds of vegetables.

“ The cash crops have brought the change in our annual income,” said Ani. “Next year, we will produce more vegetables and make more money,” said Ani, who has already built a new house with the support from Shennan Prefecture .

Like Ani, other farmers living in the remote areas of Shennan Prefecture , too, have seen similar change in their income and living styles. Known as a hub of historical, cultural and political aspects of Tibet , Shennan, 180 kilometers South west of Lhasa , used to be dominated by a large number of subsistence-based farmers who just made enough money to survive. In the past, the lives of farmers were so difficult that they had to work hard just to produce enough food to feed their families.

Although Shennan was said to be a village, which started farming in Tibet , only the recent process of modernization has brought the visible change. Situated at the South of Gangtise and Nyanchen Tangla ranges along the milled lower reaches of Yarlung Tsangpo river, Shennan has also many historically and religiously important places like Yumbulhakang Palace , the first palace as well as one of the earliest construction in Tibet , which was built in Second Century BC.

Built in mid-8th century, the Samye Monastry is another religiously and culturally important site of Shennan Prefecture . Because of the location of many other such historical and religious sites, the officials want to develop the area as a tourism center.

” Till five years ago, our livelihood was so hard and difficult as we produced traditional foods like malt, wheat and other traditional crops,” said Ani. “Sometimes, our food production was not even enough to feed our family for six months. Thanks to the introduction of cash crops, garlic, onion and vegetables, we now have money to buy other foods.”

Realizing the need to improve the livelihoods of the poor subsistence-based farmers’ family of the region, the government of Shennan Prefecture has implemented a broad-based program to bring about change in the subsistence-based agriculture system.

Farmers like Ani who used to grow only a crop annually, are now planting two crops a year. Even the prefecture is encouraging farmers to do farming through the green house. As the farmers’ income increase, they are investing the money in housing and education. For the farmers living below the poverty line, the Shennan prefecture also gives grant to build the house.

Although the electricity was supplied by TAR’s grid, the farmers are given subsidy to use the solar energy for household purposes. Traditionally relying on animal dung and straw, the farmers in the region are now using the solar energy for cooking and other purposes.

As the farmers move from traditional subsistence farming to modern commercialized one, they also have started using mechanical equipment like tractors.

“ The economic growth rate of Shennan prefecture was 17 percent last year. Although the contribution of agriculture is gradually coming down, the service sectors like tourism has made a significant contribution,” said Sangpu, deputy chief of Shennan Prefecture . “With a literacy of 99 percent, Shennan’s challenge in future is to attract more investment,” he said.

As economy grows, there is a high demand of middle-level technical manpower. According to assistant principle Tashi of Shennan Higher Secondary Vocational, more students want to study subjects related to agriculture. “Since past few years, pressure is building in the schools as many parents want their children to acquire modern knowledge on agriculture,” said Tashi. Shennan higher Secondary Vocational School is only institution of education, which provides vocational education to the people living in the region. “Over ninety percent of the students of our schools are offspring of farmers,” said Tashi.

With the economic development, the city of Shennan Prefecture is also transforming its traditional face with new infrastructures like buildings, roads, communication and other facilities.

Since there is an access to road in all 12 districts and schools and health posts, Shennan’s development is touching a new height. “Our aim is to provide equal development opportunities to all the districts. This is why in coming five year plan, we will shift our attention more to the remote parts of the region,” said Sangpu. “If we want to eradicate poverty, we must build more infrastructures in remote parts of the prefecture. We have already made a lot of progress in poverty reduction. We will eradicate the level of poverty from all prefectures within few years,” said Sangpu with determination.

Shennan is an example how China’s policy to “go west” towards remote parts are transforming the livelihoods of people through the launching of programs targeting the poor and desperate farmers of the region.