|
By Louis Mark
Tsinghua University saw its first ever interdepartmental collaboration between the School of International Relations and the School of Economics and Management (SEM) on December 9th, 2015. NexGen Global Forum, together with the Net Impact chapter of SEM, co-hosted Shanghai consulting group Collective Responsibility’s sustainability series, “Creating the Business Case for Sustainability.” Sustainability is becoming a major concern in China. With a rising middle class averaging an income growth of $100,000 per every five years since 1990, private companies are paving the way in innovative approaches to food service, agricultural practices, and going green. We were fortunate enough to host three experts from companies that are doing just that in China: Senior Strategic Manager for China at Alltech, Inc., Michael Woolsey; Area CSR & Sustainability Manager of Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Group, Zhang Yi; and Chief Technology Officer at Alescia Life Technologies, Christopher Dossman.
|
谢芋韬供稿
2015年12月9日，清华大学社科学院与清华大学经管学院开展了一次跨院合作。清华国际关系学院青思智库、经管学院Net Impact chapter共同主办了上海咨询集团，共同责任的可持续系列讲座——“创造可持续发展的商业案例”。可持续发展业已成为中国的主要关切。1990年以来，每隔五年，崛起的中产阶级的个人年收入的平均增幅为10万美元，民营企业以创新方法提供食品服务，从事农业并做到绿色环保。我们很幸运地请到了三位正在中国投身于上述事业的人士：奥特奇公司中国区高级战略经理Michael Woolsey；香格里拉酒店集团CRS可持续发展经理张艺；爱勒康首席技术经理Christopher Dossman。
Woolsey先生强调了中国今天面临的最紧迫的问题：粮食供给不能满足的中产阶层呈指数增长的需求。现在中国从全世界进口的农产品总额为1360亿，远超其他国家。从1990年，中国对肉类和奶制品的消费量增长是对大米和小麦的四倍。Woolsey先生还提到了三鹿“毒奶粉”事件的恶劣影响。
|
|
Mr. Woolsey underscores one of the most pressing issues China faces today: the food supply is not meeting the exponential demand with the rise of the middle class. Now China out ranks the world in global agricultural imports totaling $136 billion. From 1990, Chinese consumption of meat and dairy increased 4 times the pace of rice and wheat. It is no surprise that in 2008 due to the fierce competition of dairy supplies, the Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group contaminated baby formula with an overdose of melamine, commonly found in dairy at benign levels. The procurement process of the dairy was overlooked as growing competition gave way to unauthorized levels in the milk, resulting in over 40,000 sickened babies diagnosed with kidney failure.
By 2023, Alltech predicts the meat demand will increase by 15.3 metric tons in beef, pork, poultry, and sheep. China’s arable land has shrunk by 10% from its coverage in 1990, and the average farm size is less than 1 hectare. The results are staggering, with yields of meat, grain, and milk less than all other world leaders’ outputs. Europe alone produces 32 piglets per sow per year while China continues to produce half that at 15. Additionally, China’s aging population is bad for its farmers, who are on average older at 60 years of age while potential young replacements often migrate to big cities to find jobs. To combat the inefficiencies in China’s growing food crisis, Alltech studies two major aspects of the business: labor and technology. The Advantage Series at Alltech focuses on performance and profitability of livestock-rearing on Chinese farms. For example, Alltech puts a magnifying glass on the health of the sow or mother pig as well as the weaners or babes until adulthood by looking at the feed. Starting in a given September, Alltech conducts a harvest analysis on corn, conducts a risk assessment, evaluates the storage of the farmer, and by the following July conducts harvest scouting, preparing for the final harvest before the cycle begins again. Together with farm oversight, they combine yeast-based feed technology to ensure healthier animals on the farm, improving farm profits. The food is just as important to livestock health as the digestive tract of the animal. Currently, a big hurdle for animal health in China is the inadvertent ingestion of inorganic materials, which find their way into the feed by way of waste water. These inorganic materials include heavy metals in the forms of cadmium and arsenic, which are toxic. In fact, 38% of pigs in Asia (out of 488 samples) were contaminated with high levels of heavy metals. Using international standards, Alltech ensures reliable manufacturing and traceable ingredients that inject organic minerals like Zinc and Copper into the food. Mr. Woolsey notes that adding enzymes to the feed would indeed support health initiatives for farm animals. Currently China does not emphasize this practice domestically. As a result, the process is expensive with much of the technological oversight outsourced to Japan at a high price. Because of expensive outsourcing, Alltech has developed several in-house methodologies as well. First, in-vitro screening is used to see how effective the feed is. By utilizing samples of the feed, researchers simulate real life conditions of the pig’s digestive system. They use the feed sample plus an acetate buffer to mimic the saliva break down of the pig which is followed by a stomach digestion and small intestine simulation. The energy release is carefully studied by tracking amino acids, vitamins, and other key ingredients. The simulation further reveals how much of the feed is actually wasted in energy. China sees 70% of production costs at risk with daily wasted feed, which in turn equals less money. Every bite of the feed not digested by the animal represents a loss for the producer. Secondly, small training programs are available through programs like Alltech’s Premier Pig Program where they gather local farmers and advise them on new management and nutrition tips based on international standards. Private companies like Alltech are increasingly serving as guides to improve agriculture in China. Their international expertise seems to give them a certain amount of freedom in research and experimentation under the umbrella of the Chinese government. What role then, do private companies play in policy changes and how does the government react to the data they find? Does the Chinese government actually depend on outside, privatized companies to fix these domestic issues using international standards? Are we seeing China adopt more international standards as international imports of food make their way into the country? Mr. Woolsey’s final commentary poses food for thought: the majority of China’s beef, is, yes, imported, but mainly through the black market of India where cows are openly sacred, but secretly killed. While Indian beef exporters benefit from large profit gains, China closes the deficit gap between its supply and demand by using cheaper Indian imports. We can’t help but question the oversight and standards being used to check these imports. Are we waiting for another melamine-like crisis in the midst of rapid food demand and is it truly a win-win for China and its people? For more information on this event’s speakers please visit: 
|
奥特奇公司预计，2023年的中国对各种肉类的需求将增加15.3吨，而可耕地的面积却将减少；相比于世界领先的农业水平，中国农业的单位产出仍然远远落后；中国的老龄化问题和大量青壮年劳动力的背井离乡使得中国面临农业后继无人的窘状。
为了解决中国日益严峻的食品危机，奥特奇公司从劳动力和科技两方面开展了研究。例如，奥特奇公司利用先进技术，对中国的牲畜饲养业实现了从牲畜健康状况跟踪、饲料产出情况分析、农民饲料储备情况管理等方面的全流程监控。 危害牲畜健康的最大挑战是废水中所含的无机化合物，它们存在于牲畜的饲料之中。这些无机化合物包括对动物有害的镉和砷等重金属。奥特奇采用国际标准，确保进入食物的锌和铜等重金属能够被追溯到。 当前，中国以昂贵的代价将大部分技术监督环节外包给日本。为此，奥特奇已经开发出了几个能在中国使用的方法。首先，通过对家猪的消化系统进行仿真，研究人员有效提高了牲畜的饲料消化率；其次，奥特奇为当地的农民提供了小型课程， 为他们在饲养牲畜方面进行基于国际标准管理和营养方面的指导。 |
0 Comments