The Establishment of CBCGDF “CCA for Hemp Chicken at Chongren” was Recognized and Encouraged by the UN FAO Officials
2019/7/18 13:05:00 本站

On July 10th, the plaque-unveiling ceremony of “China Conservation Area for Hemp Chicken at Chongren” (CCAfa) by China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) was held in Beijing. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the CBCGDF, presented a plaque to Zhang Xinyou, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Chongren County People’s Congress of Jiangxi Province. Dr. Rene Castro, Assistant Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mr. Kent Nnadozie, the Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and other important guests witnessed the moment and highly commended the importance of such community-based areas for the conservation of poultry genetic resources.

 

At present, China is the country with the richest genetic resources of livestock and poultry in the world. 545 local breeds have been found, accounting for around 1/6 of the total genetic resources of livestock and poultry in the world. More specifically, there are 175 local breeds of domestic poultry, and Chongren Hemp Chicken is one of them.

 

In Yangtze River Valley of China, there is a province called Jiangxi, where there is a county called Chongren, and there is a kind of chicken called Chongren Hemp Chicken. This kind of chicken originated in the late Tang Dynasty, breeding history of more than a thousand years. Chongren Hemp Chicken is one of the highest egg-laying breeds in China.

 

Chongren locates in the east of the central part of Jiangxi province, and the west of Fuzhou city. The land area is 1,520 square kilometers including seven towns and eight townships, with a total population of more than 3.8 million people. It has been built for more than 1400 years since 589 AD. Chongren has three “business cards”. First one is the Trade of Eastern Jiangxi Province (the famous town called Lixiang). The second is the Ecological Granary —— The Home of Hemp Chicken. There are more than 400,000 acres of grain fields, which provide more than 300 million kilograms of national commodity grain every year. Also, there are more than 1400 years of Chongren Hemp Chicken breeding history. It has certain influence in the industry and successfully drives local people to get rich pillar industry. In 1997, the Ministry of Agriculture named Chongren “The Town of Chinese Hemp Chicken”. In 2017, it won the title of “National Demonstration Model of Agricultural Geographical Indications”. 

 

Nowadays, the rapid loss of animal genetic resources is alarming the future food security of human beings. In response to China’s “13th Five-Year Plan” on the protection and utilization of livestock and poultry genetic resources that China needs “forming a situation in which public welfare protection is the main concern and multiple subjects should participate together”, recently, the CBCGDF China Conservation Area (CCAfa) has established a new protected area —— the “China Conservation Area for Chongren’s Hemp Chicken”, in order to support the efforts of Chongren County in Jiangxi Province to protect this unique species of poultry.

 

Similarly, it is an effort of the CBCGDF to help alleviate poverty through the biodiversity protection. The development and utilization of livestock and poultry genetic resources is directly related to the livelihood of the community, local economy and sustainable development. In February, a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations showed that although 6,000 plants were grown worldwide as food, only nine of them accounted for two-thirds of all crop yields. When it comes to livestock breeds, about a quarter of the breeds are now in danger of extinction. Only a few breeds provide the majority of meat, milk and eggs. Therefore, how to protect the genetic resources of livestock breeds to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable livelihoods? The CBCGDF will continually provide support through the China Conservation Area (CCAfa).

 

In the future, the CBCGDF will also continue to provide support for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources of local livestock breeds and will promote the application of relevant Chinese Conservation Areas to FAO’s global important agricultural and cultural heritage.


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(Photo credit: CBCGDF)


Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4855/9277.html


By / Xue Tongtong