China-led livestock project in Mauritania wins poverty reduction award

Launched in 2017 by a Ningxia-based agribusiness specializing in sheep breeding and agricultural technology transfer, the program established China's first international livestock technology demonstration center in 2020.

With over 80 percent of its land covered by the Sahara Desert and livestock accounting for 80 percent of its agricultural output, Mauritania has long struggled with severe feed shortages. Adapting to the harsh local conditions, including extreme drought and annual rainfall below 200 mm, the center introduced animal husbandry techniques from Ningxia.

In November 2018, the project celebrated the birth of Mauritania's first embryo-transferred Holstein calf. To date, the center has designed eight crossbreeding routes for dairy cattle improvement and distributed 85 breeding bulls across the region.