Herdsmen livestock production and snow disaster countermeasures in the southern pastoral area of Qinghai Province

The type and number, reproductive survival rate and mortality rate, slaughter number, body weight loss and herbage supplement level of livestock, greenhouse construction, income, and expenditure of typical herdsmen were investigated by the household survey method in Dari County, Maduo County and Chengduo County, in the southern pastoral area of Qinghai Province, and the benefit scheme designed for the winter and spring snow disasters was also analysed. The result showed that the number of livestock of herdsmen was 82.5～423.2 animal units (AU), the supplementary feeding level was 1.2～26.5 CNY·(a·AU)-1, and the livestock slaughter was minimal, while only 1/3 of the herdsmen have a greenhouse constructed. The income of the herdsmen was mainly from government subsidies, and the forage reserve of herdsman was low, accounting for < 5% of the total expenditure. The ability to respond to snowstorms for individual herdsman was weak. In the snow storm and moderate snow disaster years, the reproductive survival rate of livestock was 41.5%～75.9% and 65.0%～86.4%, respectively, while the livestock mortality was 13.2%～24.4% and 8.2%～12.8%, and the body weight loss was 30%～40% and 20%～30%. Basing the main problems on the livestock management of the herdsmen, we suggest enhancing the livestock slaughter rate and increasing the livestock supplement feeding in the cold season, which can reduce the livestock death loss in winter-spring snow disasters, improving the herdsmen’s ability to respond to the snowstorms.