Barley, which is frost hardy and cold tolerant, is very suitable for the high altitudes and low temperatures of the Tibetan plateau. The grain was a source of food and income for Tibetans for thousands years. To further support and expand the barley crop, the Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, is promoting high yielding barley varieties in the region. Zangqing 2000 is just one such discovered variety that account now for more than half of the acreage of highland barley planted in Tibet.
