ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the roles of the agricultural support system in realizing the food security and examines the public services that could directly improve the household welfare of farmers and herdsmen. It explores the possibilities for the poor to get rid of poverty by creating non-agricultural employment opportunities. The local government in Tibet has secured the normal operation of the agricultural supporting system, strengthened investment in primary education and basic health care, as well as guaranteed social assistance to the key vulnerable groups. The output of agriculture amounts to about one-third of the GDP and the agricultural sector contains nearly one million people that account for 80 per cent of the native laborers in Tibet. The agricultural development may not only help most Tibetans to achieve food security, but also it may raise their family income. The agricultural development can be seen as a reflection of the effects of the institutional changes and the public investment in Tibet.
