Rome – September 27, 2026 -- Yili Group presented a China-based whole-value-chain dairy symbiosis model at the Food and Agriculture Organization's inaugural Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems, detailing how the company restored 55,000 mu (3,667 hectares) of degraded grassland and helped 5,600,000 herders in Inner Mongolia raise incomes over more than a decade.
Yili restores 3,667 hectares of degraded grassland in Inner Mongolia
In Ar Horqin Banner, Yili Group Vice President XU Ke said the company applied a grass-livestock integration approach, planting deep-rooted alfalfa to stabilize soil and rehabilitate land that had suffered persistent degradation. The restored grassland now supplies forage while supporting broader ecosystem recovery, creating what Yili describes as a self-reinforcing cycle between land, cattle and dairy production.
Chilechuan Smart Farm earns RENOFARM pilot status in 2026
At Yili's Chilechuan Ecological Smart Farm, automated temperature control, IoT-enabled health monitoring and stage-specific precision nutrition have been deployed to manage cow welfare across the animals' full life cycle. FAO named the farm a RENOFARM Farm 5Gs Pilot Champion in 2026, following multiple prior FAO Contribution Awards for Social Responsibility granted to Yili for its animal welfare and precision farming practices.
Herder incomes rise as dairy farming scale expands tenfold since 2014
Yili and FAO established Dairy Farmer Field Schools in 2014 to deliver hands-on training directly to herders across several Chinese provinces facing low milk yields and weak returns. Yili specialists have since worked with farmers to identify cow-health risks, optimize feed rations and design farm-upgrade plans backed by funding and technical support. Over the following decade, dairy farming scale in the program expanded more than tenfold and daily milk output doubled, while 5,600,000 herders in Inner Mongolia saw incomes increase.
Pan Gang, chairman of Yili Group, said prosperity in the sector depends on collective coordination rather than isolated action. The company said it will deepen cooperation with FAO and industry partners under the One Health framework to advance dairy sector development globally.