Download or read book China s Path in Developing Organic Agriculture written by Aijuan Chen and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the growing awareness of food safety and environmental sustainability, organic agriculture is developing rapidly worldwide. Previous studies on the issue of organic agriculture and small-scale farms have mainly focused on the feasibility and profitability of organic small-scale production in broad terms. The extent and type of involvement of small-scale farmers in organic farming and the implications for small-scale farmers have not been systematically examined. This study provides an empirically grounded analysis of these issues using the case of China's organic agriculture sector. In the Global North, organic agriculture was initiated by small-scale farmers and non-government organizations. Over time, the organic sector in some areas has been conventionalized, and has been criticized for eroding broad social and environmental values of organic farming as an alternative to conventional farming practices. China has shown a different path in developing organic agriculture. The initial development of certified organic agriculture in China was driven by the export market through contract farming. This is a common pattern for the development of organic agriculture in many countries of the Global South. With rising demand from middle class Chinese consumers for safe and high quality food since the 2000s, organic marketing channels for the domestic market have emerged. Meanwhile, models of farm ownership structure are diversifying. I argue that the diversification of ownership structure of organic farms provided more opportunities for small-scale farms to engage in and benefit from this sector. Based on 66 in-depth interviews with stakeholders in China's organic sector, this dissertation addresses the following three issues. First, I characterize the development of the organic agriculture sector in China in terms of ownership structure and government roles. My research revealed a co-existence of diverse ownership structures in China's organic agriculture sector, including the contract farming model, the farmers' professional cooperative model, and the private company land-leasing model. The Chinese government has played a more facilitating role in the organic sector in the 2000s and more recently rather than intervening directly in this sector at the initial stage. I argue that the diversification of ownership structure in China's organic agriculture sector has been shaped by China's political economy in the 2000s, including a developed rural land rental market, agrarian transformation toward agro-industrialization and vertical integration, expansion of the domestic organic market, and an emerging civil society. Second, this research examines the type and extent of involvement of small-scale farmers in China's organic agricultural sector to better understand to the social and economic impacts of organic agriculture on small-scale farms. Based on the fieldwork, I characterize three major models of ownership structures in China's organic agriculture sector. Applying a three-tiered equity framework - equity in access, in decision-making, and in outcome - I examine the equity implications for small-scale farmers among these three models. I find that all these models have played important roles in linking family farms to value-added markets and increasing farmers' income. The results of my study, however, reveal that the independent farmers' cooperative model showed a stronger inclusion of small farming households in terms of participating in decision-making and providing them with more autonomy compared with the other two enterprise models. In addition, this research found that farmers in the cooperative model showed a better understanding of organic agriculture and a stronger commitment to environmental sustainable development in their daily operations than those in the enterprise models. Third, this research further examined how and to what extent the independent farmers' cooperative model can benefit small farmers and contribute to rural development in China. I evaluated three farmers' cooperatives in China. Applying the “deepening-broadening-regrounding” typology proposed by van der Ploeg, Long, and Banks (2002), this research found that farmers' professional cooperatives have made make important economic, social, and environmental contributions to rural development by adopting alternative strate¬gies and activities. At the same time, these coop¬eratives face significant challenges for further devel-opment, which explains why cooperatives are not more widespread in China. This study offers new insights into the roles of farmers' cooperatives and government in rural development. This exploratory study contributes to our understanding of the complexity and diversity of the organic agricultural development within various socioeconomic contexts and sheds light on the potential trajectories for emerging economies in the Global South with a large and growing domestic market. This research provides insights regarding the future of small-scale farmers in China and strategies that link them to wider markets, especially value-added markets. This study also contributes to our understanding of agrarian transformation toward sustainable rural development by highlighting government roles in developing organic agriculture and supporting farmers' cooperatives.
Download or read book Organic Food and Farming in China written by Steffanie Scott and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-09-13 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite reports of food safety and quality scandals, China has a rapidly expanding organic agriculture and food sector, and there is a revolution in ecological food and ethical eating in China’s cities. This book shows how a set of social, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions have converged to shape the development of a "formal" organic sector, created by "top-down" state-developed standards and regulations, and an "informal" organic sector, created by ‘bottom-up’ grassroots struggles for safe, healthy, and sustainable food. This is generating a new civil movement focused on ecological agriculture and quality food. Organic movements and markets have typically emerged in industrialized food systems that are characterized by private land ownership, declining small farm sectors, consolidated farm to retail chains, predominance of supermarket retail, standards and laws to safeguard food safety, and an active civil society sector. The authors contrast this with the Chinese context, with its unique version of "capitalism with social characteristics," collective farmland ownership, and predominance of smallholder agriculture and emerging diverse marketing channels. China’s experience also reflects a commitment to domestic food security, evolving food safety legislation, and a civil society with limited autonomy from a semi-authoritarian state that keeps shifting the terrain of what is permitted. The book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of agricultural and food systems and policy, as well as rural sociology and Chinese studies.
Download or read book Organic Food Industry in China Current State and Future Prospects written by Carola Milbrodt and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2005-08-05 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2004 in the subject Orientalism / Sinology - Chinese / China, grade: 1,0, Free University of Berlin (Ostasiatisches Seminar), language: English, abstract: Chinese economic growth rates may send many people into raptures, but the agricultural sector is usually excluded from this enthusiasm. Being the problem child among Chinas economic sectors, agriculture is characterized by its low productivity and sluggish development, negatively affecting the national development, and in particular, a rural upturn. Under these conditions, the emergence of environmentally friendly farming – including organic agriculture – gives rise to great hopes, since these approaches are expected to have positive influences on economic, social and ecological fields. Organic farming continues to show a rapid development world-wide. On the Asian continent the total area of organic production still is relatively small, but the interest in organic is steadily increasing. According to a SÖL-survey, among the countries in Asia “ [...] China heralds perhaps the highest growth potential [for organic farming] in the near future.” The Chinese organic development is only a few years old, but more than one third of Asia’s total area under organic management is already situated in China. Tremendous growth rates have been evolving in all fields of the Chinese organic industry and market. In 1990, the Dutch organic certification body SKAL inspected and later certified a Chinese tea plantation, which became the first organic farm in China. Four years later, the earliest Chinese organic certification body, OFDC, was established. By 1995, altogether almost 45,000 ha of land were reported to be certified as organically cultivated in China. If the SÖL is right with its estimation, the certified organic production area increased to more than 100,000 ha in 2001, plus about 200,000 ha that are cultivated according to organic standards, but still have not received an organic certificate. Nevertheless, this is only 0,06 % of the total agricultural land in China.
Download or read book Exemplary Agriculture written by Sacha Cody and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-25 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an important contribution to our understanding of food in China through an ethnographic case study of an alternative food movement in Shanghai and the surrounding countryside. Cody examines a group of middle-class urban residents who move to the countryside to establish small-scale and independent organic farms. The book explores the complex relationships movement protagonists have with customers in the city, rural neighbours in the countryside, volunteers on their farms, intellectuals involved in rural reconstruction initiatives as well as the organic items they produce. In doing so, Cody provides valuable insights into the urban/rural dichotomy and questions of morality in China today. This book speaks to several concerns associated with the accelerated modernization China and other Asian nations are experiencing, including food safety and class relations. It will appeal to scholars and practitioners across a range of fields including anthropology, food studies, rural development and China Studies.
Download or read book Organic Agriculture and Biodiversity in China written by Xiao Han and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-02-23 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic Farming and Biodiversity in China: Protection and Agricultural Pollution Mitigation Effects gives quantitative comparison of biodiversity between organic and conventional farming, provides evaluation on the biodiversity protection mechanism for organic farming, by using an integrative approach to analyze the relationship between agricultural inputs, waste, farming management, government policy and biodiversity in different agro-ecosystems. It also discusses the ecological, economic, and social benefits of organic farming. Written by experts from the Organic Food Development Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (OFDC-MEE) - the pioneers of the organic movement in China - this book explores the role that organic farming plays in biodiversity protection, and how the government can support or hinder organic farming. Using the methods of long-term field experiment, field survey, and meta-analysis, the book reviews not yet translated studies in China, therefore unavailable to the English readership, to provide systematic comparison of biodiversity between organic and conventional farming. Organic Farming and Biodiversity in China: Protection and Agricultural Pollution Mitigation Effects is an important resource for researchers and students. It also appeals to policy makers as well as the general public seeking to understand the environmental impact of organic agriculture and the guidance of government policy in China and other regions in the world. Reviews the origin and development of organic agriculture Introduces the current status and policies of biodiversity conservation in China Compares the biodiversity between organic and conventional agriculture Presents innovative information from exclusive studies on organic agriculture development and biodiversity protection in China
Download or read book Agroecology in China written by Luo Shiming and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Key features: Reviews the development of agroecology in China, including research, practice, management, and education regarding challenges for rural and agricultural progress Presents information from sources not readily available in the West about agricultural development in China during the last several decades Provides models and indicates starting points for future research and practice Addresses how to meet future challenges of agroecosystems from the field to the table in China from scientific, technological, and management perspectives During the past 30 years, industrialization has fundamentally changed traditional rural life and agricultural practices in China. While the incomes of farmers have increased, serious issues have been raised concerning the environment, resource depletion, and food safety. In response, the Chinese government and Chinese scientists encouraged eco-agriculture, the practice of agroecology principles and philosophy, as a way to reduce the negative consequences of large-scale industrialized systems of farming. Agroecology in China: Science, Practice, and Sustainable Management represents the work of experts and leaders who have taught, researched, and expanded Chinese agroecology and eco-agriculture for more than 30 years. It reviews decades of agricultural change to provide an integrated analysis of the progress of research and development in agroecological farming practices. The book contains research on traditional and newly developed agricultural systems in China, including intercropping systems, rainfall harvest systems, and rice–duck, rice–fish, and rice–frog co-culture systems. It covers current eco-agriculture practices in the major regions of China according to climate conditions. The book closes with a discussion of the major technical approaches, necessary policy support, and possible major development stages that must occur to allow broader agroecological implementations toward the sustainability of future food systems in China. Presenting eco-agriculture systems that are somewhat unique in comparison to those of the United States, Latin America, and Europe, Agroecology in China gives insight on how Chinese agroecologists, under the political and cultural systems specific to China, have created a strong foundation for ecologically sound agroecosystem design and management that can be applied and adapted to food systems elsewhere in the world. By using selected regional examinations of agroecological efforts in China as examples, this book provides models of how to conduct research on a broad range of agroecosystems found worldwide.
Download or read book Prospects for Sustainable Development in the Chinese Countryside written by Richard Sanders and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-20 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2000: An examination of the potential for Chinese ecological agriculture providing a basis for sustainable development in the Chinese countryside. Richard Sanders involves primary research in seven villages and four countries in China that have adopted ecological agriculture. He examines the concept of sustainable development generally and analyses China’s political-economic policies towards the countryside since 1949, the impacts on the environment and the state of China’s environmental protection. The study addresses three main questions: 1. Is Chinese ecological agriculture worth adopting - specifically does CEA promise a form of sustainable rural development? 2. To the extent that it does, what are the social, political and economic conditions in the Chinese countryside which most favour its extension? 3. To the extent that these conditions are restrictive, what can the Chinese authorities do to make them less so and thus encourage its extension? The study concludes that the CEA, despite certain difficulties and problems, holds out the prospect of a more sustainable future for the rural economy than more usual forms of activity in the Chinese countryside. It finds that the conditions for adopting CEA are restrictive and that while the Chinese government is in favour of extending CEA it must reconsider questions of land management and ownership and assess long-term needs.
Download or read book Organic Agriculture and Poverty Reduction in Asia China and India Focus written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sustainable Ecological Agriculture in China written by Tian Shi and published by Cambria Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecological economics emphasizes the two-way interdependencies between the micro and macro levels. Although the questions about ecological agricultural research arise from the local level, their answers may lie at higher levels within the realm of political economy. Therefore, it requires substantial research not only on the links between local production systems and the larger national economy, political structures, and decision-making processes, but also the role and limitations of the national and local authorities in policy development and implementation. There is also scant research on Chinese ecological agriculture published in English. This book helps fill the void. It employs a trans-disciplinary approach to investigate the connection and discrepancy between knowledge and actions. It presents methodological perspectives and practical suggestions for the comprehensive analysis of ecological agriculture as inputs to improved agricultural policy-making for sustainability practices. In this way, this book illuminates the possibility of bridging the gap between local level implementation and the larger political-economic processes. This book helpfully provides a comprehensive analytical framework within which agricultural sustainability can be better analyzed and understood by articulating ecological economics as a policy science to guarantee transparency and fairness in the decision-making process . It shows the important role that traditional culture can play in promoting ecologically and socially sound development. It further emphasizes the imperative to move the ideology of ecological agriculture into the political realm and promotes a continuous dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. It also suggests that local government has a significant role to play in establishing appropriate institutional arrangements and policy settings (e.g., bottom-up policy initiatives) for sustainable ecological agricultural development. By elaborating on the methodological synthesis of ecological economics and system dynamics modeling as a holistic approach to facilitate an improved policy-making process for agricultural sustainability, this book demonstrates the effectiveness of this alternative approach to improve policy making process and facilitate the realization of sustainability through a case study in China. This book will be an important resource not only to those interested in China, but also to scholars and policy makers around the world because of its global relevance in the areas of ecological economics, ecological agriculture, sustainable resource management, political economy, system dynamics thinking and modeling, and participation in the policy-making process.
Download or read book A New Path written by Shaojun Zeng and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2023-08-21 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In September 2020, China announced that it would peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. How and whether it can achieve the target is a matter of great concern to the international community. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive analysis of the underlying theory of "Low-Carbon Plus", in which "low carbon" is the core and "plus" represents the critical areas that will go through low-carbon transformation (including industry, agriculture, buildings, transportation, energy and consumption), and puts forward the most practical path for China to achieve carbon neutrality. Starting from the basic theory of the Low-Carbon Plus strategy, the book introduces the low-carbon development situation domestically and abroad, summarizes the essential experiences and inspirations, and outlines a roadmap for China to implement the strategy. While focusing on emission reduction in primary and secondary industries, this book strongly recommends the development of low-carbon finance and low-carbon consumption, which can facilitate the ultimate realization of the Low-Carbon Plus strategy. As a fruitful result of the research by China’s national think tank, Low-Carbon Plus is an emerging development model that complements economic development and forces technological innovation, institutional innovation, and mind shift, and it is expected to have a significant and far-reaching impact on global economic growth.
Download or read book Reform and Development of Agriculture in China written by Zhou Li and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-14 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed review of the accumulated experience and lessons from China’s agricultural reform and opening-up since the late 1970s, examining various aspects of this transition and providing a new perspective that can contribute to developing economic theories. The success of China’s reform and opening up creates benefits for farmers, and is driven by farmers. The past experience, problems revealed and lessons learned from failures of market-orientated and progressive reform can provide valuable guidance for those developing countries still lagging behind China.
Download or read book Organic Farming for Sustainable Livelihoods in Developing Countries written by Frank Eyhorn and published by vdf Hochschulverlag AG. This book was released on 2007 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic farming has experienced considerable growth, not only in industrialized countries. Is it primarily an approach to safeguard consumer health and the environment, or can it also contribute to poverty reduction in developing countries? Drawing on 3 years of research on organic cotton farms in the Maikaal bioRe® project in central India, this book assesses the potential and the constraints of organic farming for improving rural livelihoods. It further integrates lessons learnt in other organic cotton projects in Asia and Africa, making it the presently most in-depth and comprehensive work on the socio-economic impact of organic farming in a developing country. The research builds on a conceptual frame that allows investigating rural livelihoods in a holistic and interdisciplinary way. The book not only addresses scientists in the fields of rural development and tropical farming systems, but also provides recommendations for practitioners and policy makers. "Dr. Frank Eyhorn’s research on organic cotton grown in the central state of India is a pioneering work. It paves the way for the possibility of chemical-free, environment- and health-friendly sustainable farming, involving lower costs and yielding higher returns to the farmers. The model is capable of being replicated globally." (Sri Sompal, former Chairman of the National Commission for Farmers and Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources, India) "That the organic production of cotton provides benefits not only for the environment and human health, but also for the socio-economic situation of farmers, is the main message of this well-documented comparative study of conventional and organic farming. It is a significant and motivating message for furthering the use of organic production methods in developing countries." (Dr. Joan S. Davis, Environmental Chemist, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences & Technology)
Download or read book Organic Farming written by Sarath Chandran and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-07-04 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic Farming: Global Perspectives and Methods, Second Edition provides the core definition and concepts of organic farming, also addressing current challenges and goals. The book provides a comprehensive resource, from sustainability to influences on the ecosystem, including the significance of seed, soil, water and weed management, and other important aspects. In addition, it presents advancements in the field and insights on the future. This fully revised and updated edition expands coverage to include important economic considerations, understanding the influence of nanotechnology on organic farming, vertical farming, organic farming and livestock management, as well as the future of organic farming. Written by a team of global experts to provide current concepts of organic farming, this resource is valuable for researchers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows from academia and research institutions. Presents the latest insights, from basic principles to emerging practices and future prospects Includes new chapters on emerging organic farming practices and opportunities to address animal agriculture and vertical and indoor farming Includes coverage of standards, certification and accreditation, and presents insights on economics and marketing
Download or read book Conservation agriculture in China written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This book was released on 2023-01-19 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the agricultural production in China has made great achievements, it is also facing challenges affecting the sustainable development of agriculture. Conservation agriculture (CA) is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance (i.e., no-tillage and direct seeding), maintenance of a permanent soil cover (mulch or cover crops), and diversification of plant species (crop rotations that include leguminous species). CA has been adopted in more than 100 countries worldwide and has become one of the most effective and widely used farming systems and technology for dryland agriculture. The adoption of CA can bring agronomic, environmental and economic benefits, and is of great significance to the development of green agriculture in China. This publication focuses on the development path, opportunities and challenges, development suggestions, technology and equipment, experiences, case studies and future scenarios for CA in China aiming to support the extension and adoption of CA in China and globally. This publication is part of the Country Investment Highlights series under the FAO Investment Centre's Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.
Download or read book Farmers of Forty Centuries written by F. H. King and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2013-08-20 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intriguing glimpses of early 20th century Asian farmers' utilization of waste; methods of irrigation, reforestation, and land reclamation; topics related to waste-free methods of cultivation; plus customs of the common people. 249 illustrations.
Download or read book The World of Organic Agriculture written by Minou Yussefi-Menzler and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-09-23 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new edition of this annual publication (previously published solely by IFOAM and FiBL) documents recent developments in global organic agriculture. It includes contributions from representatives of the organic sector from throughout the world and provides comprehensive organic farming statistics that cover surface area under organic management, numbers of farms and specific information about commodities and land use in organic systems. The book also contains information on the global market of the burgeoning organic sector, the latest developments in organic certification, standards and regulations, and insights into current status and emerging trends for organic agriculture by continent from the worlds foremost experts. For this edition, all statistical data and regional review chapters have been thoroughly updated. Completely new chapters on organic agriculture in the Pacific, on the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture and on organic aquaculture have been added. Published with IFOAM and FiBL
Download or read book Agro ecological Farming Systems in China written by Wenhua Li and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2001 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concepts, principles, history, classification, structure and function analysis of various models in the same production sector and in different sectors, at different scales, in mountain and dryland ecosystems. The book is aimed primarily at young post-graduate scientists in the disciplines or at agronomy, forestry, animal husbandry, land use management and ecology experts.
