A company in China's Xizang autonomous region has developed sustainable aquaculture and farming systems at altitudes above 3,000 meters, with support from the city of Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province.

The company, Nyingchi Nongken Gama Agricultural Co., Ltd., says the project addresses long-standing high-altitude constraints, including slow fish growth and limited crop varieties.

A fish breeding base of Nyingchi Nongken Gama Agricultural Co., Ltd., Nyingchi, Xizang autonomous region, China, July 27, 2025. [Photo by Zheng Wei/China.org.cn]

The company's demonstration facility now maintains more than 1.5 million fish in breeding stock and has pioneered shrimp farming in Xizang using new techniques. Researchers created an artificial seawater mix by adding minerals and fruit enzymes to freshwater to mimic marine conditions, enabling Pacific white shrimp to grow.

The operation uses advanced water management, including a system that binds impurities so they can be filtered out, and a zero-discharge model that treats wastewater three times before reusing it for irrigation.

A cherry-picking orchard of Nyingchi Nongken Gama Agricultural Co., Ltd., Nyingchi, Xizang autonomous region, China, July 27, 2025. [Photo by Zheng Wei/China.org.cn]

Beyond aquaculture, the company runs Xizang's largest fruit production facility, where technology upgrades have cut orchard disease rates by 40%.

Kelsang Choephel, deputy director of the production technology department, said the company grafted 33,300 cherry rootstocks and 10,053 saplings in 2024, with the firm's combined apple and cherry output reaching 400,000 kilograms. Its Gama apple and Gama cherry varieties have Green Food certification.

Kelsang Choephel, deputy director of the production technology department at Nyingchi Nongken Gama Agricultural Co., Ltd., describes the company's fruit and aquaculture operations in Nyingchi, Xizang autonomous region, China, July 27, 2025. [Photo by Liao Jiaxin/China.org.cn]

Beyond economic gains, the initiatives have had a social impact. In 2024, the company reported revenue of 10.29 million yuan, up 79% from 2021, while employee wages rose 39% over the same period. The operations created 28 jobs, including roles for university graduates and local farmers.

Looking ahead, the company plans to expand production, diversify products and refine benefit mechanisms for farmers. It says its high-altitude model — combining recirculating aquaculture with specialty fruit cultivation through cross-provincial cooperation — offers a reference for sustainable development in other high-altitude regions.

Freshly picked cherries at a cherry orchard run by Nyingchi Nongken Gama Agricultural Co., Ltd., Nyingchi, Xizang autonomous region, China, July 27, 2025. [Photo by Liao Jiaxin/China.org.cn]