Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

The renaissance of modernisation theory – or one could argue that it never
ceased to inspire mainstream development policy <strong>and</strong> strategy – poses a number
of challenges <strong>and</strong> creates curiosity about path-dependent development in
remote mountain regions in general <strong>and</strong> in the pastoral sector of the Tibetan
steppe in particular. How did previous experiences influence the creation <strong>and</strong>
design of new approaches <strong>and</strong> concepts for the transformation of pastoral
communities <strong>and</strong> their practices in resource utilisation <strong>and</strong> animal husb<strong>and</strong>ry?
The experiences of post-revolutionary China can support <strong>and</strong> enhance our
underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the future prospects.
3 Transformation of pastoral Practices in China
One of the great promises of all revolutions that took place during the 20th century
was the vision of better life for rural populations. 41 The Chinese Revolution
was no exception to this rule. Within one decade of its accomplishment major
interventions in the rural sector took place in a three-step approach (Figure 7).
First, mutual-aid teams were formed to enhance cooperation between farmers
in the villages. The second step intervened in agricultural production by applying
economies of scale <strong>and</strong> borrowing from experiences in the formation of
cooperative societies. Agricultural production cooperatives preceded the major
intervention in the rural areas. Within the so-called “democratic reforms” <strong>and</strong>
the “great leap forward” a new structure was implemented that built on collectivisation
<strong>and</strong> the introduction of peoples’ communes (Table 1).
100%
50%
212
Three stages of collectivisation
Mutual Aid Team
Agricultural
Production
Cooperative
0%
1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Source: adapted from Kreutzmann 1996: 202
Figure 7: Three stages of collectivisation
People's
Commune
41 Eric Wolf has analysed these revolutions regarding promise <strong>and</strong> effect, cf. Wolf 1968.