Food Security in China and Its Global Contribution

Food Security in China and Its Global Contribution

作者：By staff reporter ZHOU LIN & GAN PEILING

来源：《CHINA TODAY》2020年第02期

FOOD security is a main cornerstone of national security and development. In China，it’s a top priority for the government. By dramatically increasing grain production and modernizing the food industry， China has secured the baseline of enjoying grain self-sufficiency. Producing a quarter of the world’s grain output with less than 10 percent of the world’s arable land， and feeding one fifth of the world’s population， China has made a historic achievement with far-reaching impact on food security worldwide.

Key Factors behind Agricultural Development

In China， 75 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Despite the challenge， China has shown a strong commitment in alleviating poverty， which has generated remarkable accomplishments. In only four decades， over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty.

As far as China’s experience is concerned， an enabling policy environment is key to agricultural development and food security. From the household contract responsibility system implemented in 1978 to the township enterprise reform， agricultural tax reform， reform of land use， supply-side structural reform， and rural revitalization， the issues relating to agriculture，rural areas and farmers have been top concerns on the national development agenda over the past four decades. The No.1 Central Document， the first major policy document released by the central government each year， has been casting highlights on agriculture for 16 consecutive years since 2004. These reforms and strategic orientations in different historical periods constitute the sources of growth in agriculture and rural areas as well as farmers’ income and livelihoods.