Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has continued to advance supply-side reform of its agriculture and animal husbandry industries.

Over a 10-year period, the city's agriculture and animal husbandry have developed rapidly, the per capita disposable income of farmers and herdsmen has continued to increase, while the appearance of rural and pastoral areas has taken on a new look.

Economic contribution grows strongly

From 2012 to 2021, the total economic volume of agriculture and animal husbandry in Ordos increased continuously and the comprehensive production capacity significantly improved.

In 2021, the city's total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries reached 25.21 billion yuan ($6.24 billion), an increase of 10.01 billion yuan over 2012, with an average annual growth of 3.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Ordos optimized the layout of its agriculture and animal husbandry sectors. In 2021, the proportion of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, and agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries services in the city was 57.2:3.3:36.7:1.0:1.8.

Increased output capacity

Ordos has prioritized food security and has continuously increased grain yields and stabilized total grain output through measures such as consolidating grain production tasks, strengthening technology promotion, ensuring the supply of high-quality varieties, establishing more high-standard farmland and improving farmland water conservation facilities.

The city's grain output increased from 1.40 million metric tons in 2012 to 2.01 million tons in 2021, an increase of 607,000 tons. Over the period, Ordos saw average annual growth of 4.1 percent of its grain output.

Moreover, the city's economic crops have been developing well. In 2021, the city's output of vegetables and edible mushrooms reached 429,000 tons, an increase of 86,000 tons over 2012, while the output of fruit reached 259,000 tons.

Elsewhere, Ordos' animal husbandry production structure and regional layout have been further optimized. The city's animal husbandry production has maintained stable growth overall and the scale of animal husbandry has continued to expand.

In 2021, the city's total head of livestock at the end of the year was 9.12 million, an increase of 21.3 percent over 2012.

Better production conditions

Ordos has continued to increase the construction of farmland water conservation infrastructure and promote the use of agricultural water-saving irrigation facilities.

Currently, the application area of drip irrigation technology in the city has exceeded 70 percent of the total irrigated area.

In 2021, the total power used by the city's agricultural and animal husbandry machinery reached 2.79 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the metropolis had 26,178 large and medium-sized tractors, 54,569 land preparation machines and the mechanization rate for crop cultivation and harvesting reached 87 percent.

Industralization gains more traction

In 2021, Ordos had 339 key leading enterprises involved in the industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry at or above the municipal level, an increase of 154 over 2012.

In the same year, Ordos had 65 agricultural and animal husbandry industrialization complexes above the municipal level, 3,565 family farms and pastures, 7,466 professional farmers and herdsmen's cooperatives and 491 social service organizations.

In addition, local agricultural and animal husbandry products have gradually established their own brands.

In 2021, the city had five national-level well-known trademarks, 64 autonomous-level well-known trademarks and 105 municipal-level well-known trademarks.

A total of 222 products produced in Ordos were recognized as green, organic, famous, special, or prestigious geographical indication agricultural products.

Of these, the Otog Albas cashmere goat was identified in the first batch of geographical indication products with mutual recognition between China and Europe and in the second batch of "advantage areas of agricultural products with Chinese characteristics". It was selected as a regional public brand for agricultural products in 2019.

People's standard of living up in rural, pastoral areas 　

In 2014, Ordos identified 24,028 people from 9,268 households as poverty-stricken persons, with a poverty incidence rate of 1.38 percent.

In 2017, Hanggin Banner, then the only poverty-stricken banner in Ordos city in the autonomous region, was lifted out of poverty.

By the end of 2019, all the registered poverty-stricken people in Ordos had shaken off poverty and Ordos had eliminated regional poverty and absolute poverty.

The rapid development of agriculture and animal husbandry has also led to an increase in the incomes of farmers and herdsmen.

In 2021, the per capita disposable income of permanent residents in rural and pastoral areas of the city reached 23,583 yuan, double 10,798 yuan in 2012.