Food and Grain Consumption Per Capita in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Implications for Conservation

Background: Grain security is crucial for social stability and ecosystem conservation regionally and globally, and it is particularly concerned widely in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) due to its high altitude and harsh climate for agriculture. Method: In this paper, we calculated and analyzed per capita food and grain consumption, including direct grain consumption, grain for fodder, industry consumption, seeds consumption, and wastage consumption and its changes in the QTP during 1995-2019. Results: The results showed that (1) in 2019, the average food consumption per capita was 333.35 kg, was stable since 1995. The dietary structure of residents was composed of direct grain consumption (44.15%), meat (10.72%), and milk (6.94%). The consumption of meat and milk was higher than the national average. (2) The average daily intake of energy and protein, animal protein, and the ratio of high-quality protein and fat energy were 2156.21 kcal & BULL;d(-1), 73.53 g & BULL;d(-1), 23.06 g & BULL;d(-1), 38.32%, and 27.77% in 2019. Their changes were -342.98 kcal & BULL;d(-1), -8.91 g & BULL;d(-1), 11.16 g & BULL;d(-1), 18.37%, and 11.08%, respectively. (3) The corresponding grain consumption per capita was 284.90 kg & BULL;a(-1) in 1995, 262.19 kg & BULL;a(-1) in 2010, and then remained stable until 2019. Conclusion: The study suggested that food consumption per capital was guaranteed at the well-off level since 2010, and food and dietary structure of residents were corresponding to physical geographic and climatic environment in the QTP. The conflict between food security and the ecosystem conservation can be managed without scarifying nature as the total grain consumption was stable since 2010, and the yield per unit area and total grain yield were both increasing since 2003 for agricultural condition improved in the QTP.