ABSTRACT
The autonomous region of Inner Mongolia is one of the major centers of the range livestock industry of the People's Republic of China, with rangeland comprising 74% of the area and some 40 million head of livestock. The livestock industry of the area is characterized by heavy overgrazing, shortage of winter feed for the 7-mo feeding period, severe wind erosion with shifting sand dunes, and low production. In late 1981, the government introduced the "Individual Responsibility System" for agriculture, which placed more emphasis on individual production efforts. The new state-collective joint management system should be evaluated regularly to make the Center an efficient organization. Traditional social and political problems restrict the cost effectiveness of all animal production systems because they prevent stock reduction to a level commensurate with feed supply essential to an acceptable level of stock production. Government assistance in the way of financing and support must continue.
