Abstract
China’s strategic objective for agricultural development is as follows: by around 2030, initially establish modern agriculture, with appropriately scaled operations as its foundation; with high-caliber rural citizens, new high technology, and advanced equipment as motive force; with a socialized services system, agricultural product market system, agriculture-supporting industrial system, and macro adjustment system as its supports; and suitable to the demands of moderate prosperity, international competitiveness, and sustainable development.
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Notes
- 1.
“Comparable farmland” is the product of the actual area of farmland and the adjustment factor of farmland quality. On farmland of a certain area, the faster quality is increased, the greater the area of comparable farmland, and vice versa.
- 2.
As far back as 140 years ago, Marx had already come to think that the speeding of industrial development was the inevitable result of arriving in a certain stage. “Once industry develops to a certain point, such imbalances will necessarily start to shrink. That is to say that agricultural productivity will necessarily grow faster than industrial productivity.” He adds: “In particular, the true scientific foundation of big industry—mechanics—had already reached a degree of perfection by the 18th century. Those other sciences that more directly became the foundation of specialization in agriculture (as compared with industry)—chemistry, geology, and physics—were developed only in the 19th century, and particularly in the most recent decades of the 19th century.” Karl Marx, “Theories of Surplus Value,” (1861–1863), Collected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 26 (II), (Beijing: Renminchubanshe, 1973), first edition, 116.
- 3.
A study performed by Nobel prize recipient and ozone layer researcher Paul Krutzen and others proved that as compared with the anticipated impact on climate change of fertilizer—two percent—of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the contributions of NO2 to the greenhouse effect of planting grains used as biofuels was twice as high (three to five percent). NO2 emissions of bio-diesel made from rapeseeds make 2–2.7 times the contributions to warming of CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels, meaning that the impact on global warming of such fuel is greater than that of fossil fuels. Contributions to warming of corn ethanol are between 1.9 and 2.5 times those of CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels, making this a better substitute product. So the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a report demanding an assessment of the complete life cycle of bio-fuels, to keep the problem from growing worse.
- 4.
There are four kinds of ecological system service value: direct usage value, indirect usage value, selective value, and existence value. (1) Direct usage value can be measured by market prices, such as determining the cost of wood directly from its market price. (2) Indirect usage value is the value of ecological system services that cannot be commoditized, such as the value of function of forests in conserving water and soil resources. (3) Selective value is the willingness to pay for the future use of a function of ecological system services; this can be divided into three categories: personal future use, future use of others, and future use of descendants. (4) Existence value is the willingness to pay to ensure the continued existence of ecological system services. There are roughly three ways to assess the value of ecological system services: (1) Direct market assessment. This means assessing the value of ecological system services by market prices, such as the impact of soil changes on crop yields. (2) Hypothetical market assessment. This means assessing the value by finding replacement products for ecological system services that have no market, such as the impact of environmental improvement on the community. One can assess the value of environmental improvement by sussing out historical changes to real estate prices within a community. (3) Simulated assessment. This method is used to assess the value of ecological services for which there is no market and no replacement product, such as conducting a survey using questionnaires or telephone calls to assess the willingness of people to pay (even if compensated) to determine the value of ecological system services.
- 5.
The Agricultural Adjustment Act, passed by the US Congress in 1933, was aimed at protecting agriculture. After years of improvements by different administrations, it eventually formed into a federal agricultural policy system aimed at protecting agriculture. However, enormous amounts of agricultural subsidies led to budget deficits, which brought about a great deal of fiscal pressure and pressure from public opinion. So the US government passed new agricultural legislation in 1985 and 1996 to bring about market-guided agricultural reforms. Agricultural legislation passed in 2002 expanded the policy’s objectives to four areas: preventing and controlling agricultural crises caused by surpluses and maintaining healthy development of agriculture; increasing the safety, nutrition, and convenience of agricultural products and increasing the quality of life of the American people; strengthening protections over resources and the environment and ensuring sustainable development of agriculture; and promoting rural social development. At present, the relationship between government subsidies received by rural citizens in China and their contributions to improving the environment is becoming increasingly tight.
References
Dang Guoying, China’s Rural Reforms in the New Century: Reflections and Outlook.
Liu Jiang et al, China’s Agricultural Development Strategy for the Early 21 st Century.
Lu Liangshu, Development Trends and Outlook for China’s Agricultural Science and Technology in the 21 st Century.
Liu Xunhao and GaoWangsheng, How to Sustain Development in Agriculture in China in the 21 st Century.
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Li, Z. (2017). Outlook and Vision for Agriculture in China. In: Reform and Development of Agriculture in China. Research Series on the Chinese Dream and China’s Development Path. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3462-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3462-6_8
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