China is suffering under the worst drought in decades – and in regions of the south and southwest that actually have ample water. Dr. Michaela Boehme, an expert on agriculture and food in China, analyzes the major challenges the country has to face from extreme heat and drought. Both are already a consequence of the climate crisis, and so Dr. Boehme also sees the situation as a wake-up call to Beijing to take the direct effects of climate change on agriculture and food security seriously.
By Experts Table.Briefings
The world's longest tunnel is supposed to be the answer to the persistent water shortage in northern China. In the future, engineers plan to divert water from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River into the controversial canal system that has supplied the Chinese capital with drinking water for years.
By Christiane Kuehl
Europe continues to import metals such as nickel, copper, and aluminum from Russia on a large scale – from companies owned by oligarchs close to Putin. The EU and German government must stop these imports and drastically change raw materials policy, according to Michael Reckordt of the NGO PowerShift.
By Redaktion Table
Although the sector of agriculture in China is small in terms of gross domestic product, agriculture in China is of great political importance. Table.Media's editorial team has all the news on sector of agriculture in China.
Agriculture in China contributed about 7.7 percent of GDP in 2020. Industry accounts for 37.8 percent, and services are the largest sector at 54.5 percent. The total area of the People's Republic is 960 million hectares. Of this, 645 million hectares are used for agriculture and forestry. However, only 134 million hectares are considered arable land. Deserts are a major problem in China. At 270 million hectares, they cover about one third of the total area and are spreading. Settled areas and inland waters account for about 45 million hectares. Although nine percent of all arable land in the world is in China, the People's Republic is also home to 22 percent of the world's population. Accordingly, the Chinese Communist Party is striving to make agricultural production more efficient. The greatest importance is attached to the most important cultivation regions in the Central Chinese Plain, the Northeast Chinese Plain and the Sichuan Basin.
Agriculture in China is divided into traditional agriculture, fisheries, forestry, animal husbandry and breeding. Of the 134 million hectares of arable land, two-thirds is used for grain cultivation. In 2019, this sector of agricultural production could harvest 602 million tons. In addition, there are 985 million tons of fruits and vegetables, 109.7 million tons of meat, 65 million tons from China's fisheries, and 33 million tons of dairy products.
China's agriculture industry employs about 230 million workers. That is ab out thirty percent of all workers in the People's Republic. In comparison, it accounts for an astonishingly small 7.7 percent of gross domestic product. The number of farmers in China is expected to fall by up to 80 million by 2030.
Agriculture in China is primarily made up of rural workers and China's migrant workers. Migrant workers are those who work outside their home province for more than six months per year. Because a great many rural farmers are employed only part-time, anyone who works in a non-agricultural job in their home province for more than six months a year is also considered a migrant worker. Thus, there are a total of 291 million migrant workers in China. Workers face the problem that income from agriculture is steadily declining. The rural population now earns significantly less than half of its income from the agricultural sector. Social security is also a problem. There are no old-age pensions at all, and the health care system is inadequately developed in the agricultural areas.
Exports from agriculture in China range from food to construction materials. For China is the world's largest producer and exporter of fish, 73 percent of which comes from aquaculture. In addition, the country is the largest exporter of timber and the world's third largest producer of dairy products. Nevertheless, China's agricultural sector plays a negligible role in foreign trade. Exports in 2019 were worth $79 billion, while imports totaled $151 billion. Overall, this part of trade accounts for just five percent. In 2020, China had to import a record amount of soy (110.3 million tons), corn (11.3 million tons) and pork (4.4 million tons). Soy was mainly used as feed in livestock production. After the African swine fever was contained, the number of pigs in China's livestock sector grew enormously, making the imports necessary. Corn is basically scarce and very expensive in China, which is why it is imported cheaply.
The largest agricultural sectors in China include fruits and vegetables, grains and oilseeds. At the turn of the millennium, the Communist Party set the goal of increasing agricultural yields by five to ten percent annually in order to be able to supply the population with domestic products. Nevertheless, imports in the agricultural sector are increasing, in some cases massively. Because maximum self-sufficiency is an important goal of the Chinese government, the People's Republic maintains gigantic stocks. Half of all global stocks of wheat, for example, are stored in China. Accordingly, the grain market in China is strictly regulated.
The disregard for human rights in agriculture in China, the sector is a constant source of international debate. Cotton producers are particularly affected by this because of their working conditions, and accusations of forced labor are regularly raised against them. The suspicion is obvious, as cotton is mainly grown in Xinjiang. The region is considered a hotspot in terms of human rights, as the Communist Party here takes rigorous action against the Muslim minority of the Uyghurs.
China's agricultural sector contributes enormously to environmental pollution. The background to this is the scarcity of soil and the resulting intensive use of agricultural land. This leads to massive soil degradation. Due to the comparatively low level of education of agricultural enterprises, there is also improper and over-intensive fertilization.
In the Communist Party's current Five-Year Plan, agriculture plays a major role for several reasons. For one, the party wants to increase production in China to make the country less dependent on imports. On the other hand, it sees the urgency of getting to grips with the growing environmental problems and is aiming for green agricultural development by 2025. In addition, there is a national plan for the sustainable development of the China agriculture industry by 2030, which aims to eliminate subsidies, reduce overcapacity and open up agricultural markets. Among other things, a reformation of price mechanisms is expected to help.
Agriculture in China plays a central role in key issues such as sustainability, human rights and the supply of food for the country's own population. In these areas, the agricultural sector must undergo massive changes in order to be fit for the future. All news on agriculture in China is provided by the Table.Media editorial team.
