Can't build grassland and develop grass industry behind closed doors

With the improvement of people's quality of life and the great abundance of food intake, the consumption of food has been reduced, while eating more meat, eggs and milk, and eating more non-staple food. Where did meat, eggs and milk come from? Meat, eggs and milk can not be produced without feed and forage. If there is not enough fodder and forage, there will be problems with the food security of modern people. There is enough grain, not enough meat, not enough milk.

Strictly speaking, food security should not only emphasize food rations security and grain security, but also include animal products in the scope of food security. Along with this extension, the feed and forage of natural livestock should also be included in the security plan, so that domestic food can be considered truly safe.

At present, a large part of the grain consumed in our country every year is made of animal feed, which will cause a lot of waste. If the grassland is also protected like arable land, improve forage production, produce beef, mutton, milk and other food, it will have a greater effect on food security.

At present, while protecting the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land, we should also take the road of "returning farmland to grassland." Some areas are suitable for "returning farmland to forest", while others are more suitable for "returning farmland to grassland". By restoring grassland and developing grass industry, the effect is better and the income is faster.

Grass field rotation is an important feature of modern mixed agriculture. In China, the tested land use systems such as grass-grain rotation, grass-fruit rotation and grass-tobacco rotation can build a large number of cultivated grasslands and form a virtuous circle. The development of grass industry in this way will not only increase the total output of food crops and cash crops, but also make grassland animal husbandry flourish. Therefore, using the techniques of medium-and low-yield fields, seasonal abandonment, grass field rotation and intercropping, "returning farmland to grassland" and developing grassland agriculture have very broad prospects in some parts of our country.

For the grass-suitable grassland area, for a long time, emphasis has been placed on grain as the key link, ignoring the development of grass industry, this is a concept formed for a long time, it is difficult to change this situation immediately, need to strengthen guidance. In these areas, if grass field rotation is implemented, it will not only not affect grain production, but also multiply forage crops such as forage grass and improve soil fertility. From many angles, the development of grassland agriculture is more secure to food security.

Of course, in places where grass is suitable and pasture is suitable, the biggest problem in grassland construction and grass industry development is to "build grassland and develop grass industry behind closed doors." the development of grasslands should be considered as a whole with the issue of agriculture and food security as a whole.

(Ren Jizhou, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering)