"Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet Leverages Drought-Tolerant Advantage, Boosting Agriculture Development in Xinjiang

I. Project Overview

Heshuo County, situated at the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, suffers from limited arable land, widespread soil degradation, desertification, and water scarcity, hindering local agricultural development. The "Zhangzagu" hybrid millet series, successfully bred by the team of Zhao Zhihai from the Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has robust roots, strong drought resistance, and high yield, overturning the tradition that millet is suitable only for semi-arid areas with annual rainfall above 400 mm. It can grow even in arid regions with annual rainfall of 200 mm. By 2018, the cultivated area of "Zhangzagu" in Heshuo County had reached 1,700 hectares, with a total output value exceeding 21 million yuan (about US$3.3 million). It provides an income of 1,700 yuan (about US$267) per mu for more than 500 beneficiary households, including 232 households registered for poverty alleviation.

"Zhangzagu" Hybrid Millet in the Demonstration Cultivation Base of Heshuo County, Xinjiang

II. Approaches

1) Setting up cooperatives to aid agricultural poverty alleviation

The Zhangjiakou Academy of Agricultural Sciences helped establishment of specialized farmer cooperatives following the development approach of "leading enterprises, demonstration bases, and radiating to farmers". It adopts a "lease + shareholding" model and currently transfers over 6,000 mu of land. The poverty alleviation office has identified the cooperative as a base for agricultural modernization and poverty alleviation. With measures such as share dividends and interest subsidies, it drives poor households to cultivate "Zhangzagu" hybrid millet. It coordinated extrabudgetary aid funds of 1.2 million yuan (about US$188,000) to purchase a bundling machine, helping farmers harvest millet straw for free, raising the comprehensive benefit per mu by 60 yuan (about US$9).

2) Leveraging "Zhangzagu" hybrid millet's drought and water-saving advantages to achieve circular development

In 2017, Heshuo introduced the drought-resistant, high-quality, high-yield, and low-cost "Zhangzagu No.13". Experimental planting showed that an acre of wheat in Heshuo County requires 500 cubic meters of water for drip irrigation, while "Zhangzagu" can increase production relying only on natural rainfall. "Zhangzagu" planted on fallow land can yield 200 kg per mu, and if each mu is irrigated with 100 cubic meters of water, the yield can reach more than 400 kg. The nutritional content of fodder made from "Zhangzagu" is close to alfalfa, making it effective for feeding livestock such as cattle and sheep. As a traditional pastoral region in China, Xinjiang has limited pastureland, and the supply of quality forage is insufficient. Planting "Zhangzagu" and promoting the conversion of straw into fodder can achieve green circular development and solve significant problems in animal husbandry.

3) Opening new markets and extending product value

To meet the demand for market and consumption upgrades, they have developed nutritional and healthy functional foods such as infant rice flour, millet noodles, puffed millet cakes, etc. The husks are also processed into ergonomic health pillows.

Millet products

III. Project Benefits

As of December 2022, the "Zhangzagu" hybrid millet series has been promoted across 50,000 mu in Heshuo, saving an estimated 10 million cubic meters of water based on water savings of 200 cubic meters per mu. The average yield has reached 500 kg per mu, producing a total of 25 million kg of grain. It has led over 2,000 farming households to plant and increase their income, with a total output value exceeding 100 million yuan (about US$15.7 million).

For more information, please contact WFP China COE (wfpcn.coe@wfp.org)