The history of the agricultural economy of the People's Republic of China

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Worldwatch Warns of Chinese Agricultural Crisis
China News Digest, 18 September 1995. Does China's rising standard of living mean greater demand for food and hence a worldwide rise in food prices, or does economic progress imply both an improved standard of living and greater agricultural productivity?
Who Will Feed China: Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet
3 November 1995. The Worldwatch Institute here promotes one of its publications, a book by Lester R. Brown, which offers a mercantilist perspective on the effect of China's rising standard of living on world food prices.
Can China feed itself?
By Thomas C. Bartlett, 10 September 1999. Government will phase out hybrid rice cultivation and its pledge to purchase it. Hybrid rice offers high yields, and about half the rice cultivated in China is hybrid, but because of its taste no-one wants to eat it. The farmers keep better quality rice for home consumption and the surplus is sold to the government at prices higher than those on world markets. City people prefer fragrant imported rice.
Women Harvest Fruits of Their Labour
By Xiong Lei, IPS, 22 February 2000. The March 8 Green Project by the All-China Women's Federation was launched in 1990 to combat the problem of soil deterioration. The planting of trees has been successful all over China.
China Moves to Ensure Farm Produce Safety
Xinhua, 23 April 2001. China will set up a market access system for farm produce this year to curb pollution of farm products due to residues from pesticides and chemical additives. Lists of agricultural standards. Quality supervision centers the beginning of a nationwide quality inspection and supervision network. Centers for the inspection and accreditation of animal products, veterinary drugs and feed products.
China Finds New Way for Agricultural Development
Xinhua, 27 June 2001. Today, over 15 percent of Chinese rural households have increased income by cooperating with various economic entities, and such an industrialized development of agriculture is currently encouraged. The old rural household responsibility system has reached its limit, resulting in the stagnation in both agricultural development and farmers' income in recent years.
GE Crops Expand in China
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), 31 August 2001. In 1988, China's genetically engineered (GE) tobacco became the first GE crop in the world to be grown commercially. Production was halted in the mid-1990s due to rejection of GE crops in export markets. Nevertheless, government-supported research continues as China looks for ways to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and gain an edge in the growing biotech industry.
International Quality Breeds Help China Yield More Rice
Xinhua, 22 October 2001. A long-term strategy instituted by Chinese scientists has increased rice output by 7.61 billion kg. China participated in the research of an international rice genetic evaluation network coordinated by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in Manila, the Philippines.
China grain imports to surge as water dries up
By Tim Large, Reuters, 11 April 2002. China could begin large-scale grain imports within a year as dwindling water resources force it to eat into its big stockpiles, putting pressure on grain prices around the globe. China can draw on reserves for one more year, and will then have to greatly increase imports. A convergence of climate events and emerging water scarcity could begin to show up in economic indicators like world grain prices, and China will bring that into focus for the world.
Give Up Traditional Ploughing for Machine Ploughs: Expert
Xinhua, 29 May 2002. A local expert has proposed that farmers in the north of the country give up their traditional way of ploughing and adopt mechanized, protective ploughing, so as to curb rampant droughts and sandstorms. The worsening droughts and sandstorms are due to policies in the past to turn forest and grassland into farmland, as well as the traditional way of ploughing.