Cooperation breeds prosperity, starting with yaks

"We believe in the long run that the cooperative will bring more profit for our villagers, as we can sell yak meat or produce more yak meat products in the future," he said.

With an average elevation of 2,900 meters, Sergola, a village near the Yarlung Zangbo River in Manri township of the Tibet's Nyingchi city, has been operating a sheep breeding cooperative to increase income for the locals.

A total of 173 people from 33 households invested in the cooperative, starting in 2014. It now has more than 500 sheep. The investors received an average annual income above 5,000 yuan ($715) in between 2016 and 2019, said Dundrup, a resident of Sergola.