19 Agriculture In China Facts That Reflect Details On Food Supply

Food production is important for every country.

China has a strong agricultural background. With most of the population staying in rural areas, they were dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

Agricultural practices in China can be traced back to 4000 years ago, way before the People's Republic of China was formed. A single minded focus on the production of food crops enabled governments to innovate practices and develop policies to sustain yield.

Intensive cropping, terrace farming, water rotation, and other irrigation practices were adopted and nurtured. The removal of archaic and rigid systems such as the commune system further allowed the agricultural sector to continue to grow.

The protection led to massive growth in agricultural production. Today, China is the leading producer of rice and wheat in the world.

However, this rosy picture is facing problems with a shift towards industrialization. Other issues include higher demand for animal products, pollution, loss of land due to floods, drying up of water channels, and so on.

Continue reading for an insight into the agricultural practices in China. Learn more about this country, explore China water pollution facts and China pollution facts.

History Of Agriculture In China

China has a longstanding history of cultivation. Most of the population is rural and has made a living by farming crops.

Rice was grown in the south, while millet was grown in the drier north China plain. The manner of growing, plowing, and harvesting followed throughout the country was more or less the same. Terrace farming helped expand the arable land and could be commonly seen all over China.

Agriculture was well-developed way before the country became the People's Republic of China in 1949. Throughout history, the country has developed and designed cultivation, irrigation, and drainage practices.

For example, in the Qing era (1644-1911), a granary system was created as a protection against famines and drought. Previously, in the Ming era, new crops like corn and tea were introduced and irrigation systems were put in place.

The government believed that agriculture was the source of wealth and thus, invested in ingenious practices like crop rotation and irrigation devices to maximize yields. Later, the government, to boost agriculture started training sessions, reduced taxes, and established agriculture schools.

Then in 1949, the government continued to promote agriculture by introducing reforms in the sector. This includes abolishing the landlord system and giving land rights to the farmer. A general organization of the sector also took place.

Cooperatives, collectives, and communes were formed with the farmers. However, agriculture took a back seat after the revolution in 1949. The focus shifted to the development of the industrial sector.

In 1978-79, major reforms were made to the agricultural sector once again and the system of communes, cooperatives, and collectives was abolished. These systems were seen as bureaucratic, inhibiting the growth of the food chain. New incentives were launched and farmers were connected with businesses to aid in their production process.

By 1985, the contribution of the agricultural sector to the GNP had, however, fallen to 29 percent. This fall in agricultural output was due to a lack of modern machinery, raw materials, and electricity. The market played a key role. Farmers sold their agricultural products in the rural or urban market and purchased the raw materials from the market.

The Qinling range divides China's agricultural space into the north and south. In the south where rainfall is abundant rice is the important crop grown.

Apart from the rainfall, the water bodies helped irrigate the paddy fields and the acid red clay plus fertilizers helped keep up the rice yields. In fact, the soil quality and irrigation resources allowed for two or three crops to be grown in one season.

Other agricultural products grown include potato, wheat, cotton, and tea. In the north, wheat is grown.

The food crops growing in these drier regions include corn, millet, and so on. Even though irrigation has improved but water is still a limiting factor in the northern parts of the country.

China's North Plain area is used to grow winter wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, and peanuts. While this area of the country is fertile and well-irrigated, it is prone to natural disasters like floods.

Mechanization and agricultural development have contributed to the growth and sustenance of the agricultural sector in the country. But on the flip side, increasing conversion of land for industrial and infrastructural purposes has put pressure leading to the slow decline of the agricultural output.

Main Cash Crops Of China

90 percent of China's agriculture is made up of rice, wheat, and maize. These three are the main cash crops of China. Others grown in the country include potato, edible oil crops, sugar crops, and tobacco.

When it comes to rice, China is one of the global leaders in rice production. According to statistics, China is responsible for around 40 percent of the world's rice production and 30 percent of the world's rice consumption.

25 percent of China's cultivated area is used for rice farming of which 99 percent is irrigated rice.

Two types of rice are grown in the country, Indica and Japonicas. Indica is the dominant variety, which is primarily grown in southern China while Japonicas is grown in the northern parts of China.

The crop cycles are more in the south while in the north rice is only grown for one season.

However, the rice yield of China is being threatened by the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, small genetic background, and so on. Due to these factors, researchers believe that the rice yield is going to taper and is unlikely to increase.

Like rice, China is the top wheat producer in the world. The wheat is grown in three agricultural zones: the northern China winter wheat region, southern China winter wheat region, and spring wheat region of south China. With 60 - 70 percent wheat crop production, the largest agricultural production comes from the northern China winter wheat region.

Grown in both north and northeast China, Maize accounts for one third of the Chinese agricultural cereal production. There was a trend of tapering of maize production in the country with the yield constantly declining.

However, as maize is primarily used for animal feed, its demand is going up with the growing shift towards animal products. This has led to an increase in the share of maize grown in the country from 1970 - 2000.

The decrease in the production of rice and wheat has been accompanied by a shift towards the growing of other cash crops like potato, tobacco, edible oil, sugar, and more.

Impact Of Agriculture In China On China's Economy

The agricultural impact on China's GDP has declined somewhat, however, it has not diminished much. It continues to be the mainstay of China's GDP, partly because of the agricultural reforms set up by the Chinese government.

Since the agricultural reforms introduced in 1978, China's agricultural growth has improved. The policies were designed to give a boost to the agricultural system. The prices of agricultural products were raised to incentivize farming, marketing of vegetables was made free, and any rigid policies that controlled the marketing and production of agricultural products were scrapped.

When it comes to the impact of agriculture on China's GDP, there is a pattern clearly visible. China's economy may have gone through multiple ups and downs but the ups were generally accompanied by an agricultural boom and vice versa.

It may not have been the sole contributor to the GDP but it has definitely been the driving force since 1949.

Agricultural products in China are not just used to feed the largest population but also contribute as raw materials for the industrial sector. Agriculture also uses a range of products like fertilizers, pesticides, machines, and so on all of which contribute to the market.

With the growth in agriculture, this would also entail a higher income for farmers. This too provides a leeway for the farmer to purchase consumer products.

As a significant section of the population is rural, they contribute greatly towards the purchase of manufactured products. Another way agriculture impacts the Chinese economy is through capital and labor. To date, agricultural exports contribute to around 45 percent of the total exports.

As the amount of agricultural products imported is lesser than what is exported, the sector is a large net foreign exchange earner. Studies also show that agriculture helps other sectors in the country to grow.

What was the consequence of the expansion of population and agricultural land in China?

The growing demand for poultry and dairy products, the focus on industries, and growing population and their demand for land and water are putting a massive strain on China's food safety.

China has only around 7 percent arable land to feed a major chunk of the world's population. The problem lies that only about 290 million acres of arable land are cultivable.

More and more of the country's land resources are being shifted for industrial expansion. On top of that, the rising population has led to demand for land for housing and also demand for water. Chinese agriculture is facing acute pressure, directly and indirectly resulting in a bleak future.

When you think of a country like China, you won't think they would be facing a land shortage. However, that is exactly what is happening in the country.

The population continues to grow and this puts pressure on housing and associated infrastructure. Industrial expansion in north China and south China has led to the shrinking of arable land available for agricultural products.

Another problem is pollution. The soil quality is declining due to erosion, acidification, or salinization by natural and industrial factors. In fact, there is a growing concern about heavy industrial chemicals like cadmium being found in rice samples. It is estimated that around 40 percent of the country's arable land has been degraded.

China's farmland is competing with the coal industry for water resources. The coal industry is important for the agriculture sector as it is heavily dependent on the nitrogen fertilizer. The nitrogen industry is dependent on coal.

The water resources of China are drying up. Research shows that five of China's largest lakes have become dead due to fertilizer run off. This is also putting pressure on the agricultural industry.

Natural calamities like floods and droughts are also increasing the pressure. Insect infestations like locust swarms have also threatened the cash crops of the country, especially corn. Food waste is another huge problem in the country.

All these factors have contributed to a push towards food imports. This is another reflection of the ongoing food crisis in the country. They are filling up the food banks to avoid an impending chronic food shortage. Apart from importing agricultural products, China is also resorting to buying arable land in other countries like Latin America, Africa, South America.

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