What crops are grown in China? Population and economy of modern China Chinese company agriculture animal husbandry

According to official figures, China at the end of the 20th century had about 95 million hectares of cultivated land. It is not uncommon for a single cultivated area to produce three or more crops in two years, and the Yangtze River basin has two crops each year. In parts of southern China, many fields produce three crops a year of major crops and up to five crops of vegetables. China's agriculture has been shaped by its vast territory and diverse climatic conditions. More than 50 different field crops, more than 80 types of garden crops and almost 60 types of garden crops are grown on the territory of the country.

Sheep, horses and goats are reared in the highlands of the western regions of China, as well as in the vast steppes of Tibet and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the oases of the desert regions of Xinjiang, watermelons and grapes are grown. The cold northern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin produce highly mechanized wheat and soybeans. Chronically water-stressed Northern China grows drought-tolerant crops such as corn, wheat and millet. On the North China Plain, cultivated land yields two crops of grain and tobacco a year.

China's agriculture includes the most productive areas in terms of gross agricultural output: Sichuan province, the lower Yangtze River valley and the subtropical province of Guangdong. Here, several crops per year are the norm, and irrigation and fertilization are widely used. The provinces of Sichuan, Hunan and Jiangsu are the largest in rice production. In areas of the provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong, most of the sugar cane is cultivated. And in subtropical regions Agriculture China produces, mainly for export, oranges, tangerines, pineapples and lychees.

Labor resources in China's agriculture play almost the most important role. The land, as a result of the privatization program, was divided among the families in the communes and its cultivation is carried out on the basis of a family contract. At first, land was leased for 1-3 years, but then a long-term tenure system (50 years or more) was introduced. The Chinese government has made a number of adjustments to the purchase prices of grains and meat, this has been a stimulus that has helped to significantly increase labor productivity. By the end of the 20th century, China's agriculture produced about 500 million tons of cereals, including 185 million tons of rice. Wheat is the second most important food crop. And for the collection of corn (more than 100 million tons per year), the country ranks second in the world after the United States.

Describing the different types of agriculture in China, it should be noted that the country is one of the world's largest suppliers of many varieties of tea. In addition, millet, oats, kaoliang, rye, buckwheat, sweet potatoes and potatoes from root crops, and soybeans from legumes are grown. An important place among industrial crops belongs to cotton. 40% of the areas occupied by industrial crops are allocated for its cultivation. Flax, hemp and jute are also grown. Tobacco is collected in the largest volumes in the world. Sesame, peanut and sunflower are the leaders among oilseeds. Sugar beets and pineapples, citrus fruits, bananas, apples, mangoes, pears and others are grown. Animal husbandry in China used to occupy a secondary place, but now it has begun to develop at an accelerated pace. Also, sericulture has been practiced in China for 4000 years.

Despite the success of China's agriculture, it cannot cope with the large growth in the country's population. According to experts' forecasts, in the 21st century the need for imported grain will be from 55 to 175 million tons annually.

In terms of production, China's agriculture is one of the largest in the world. One of the main features of agriculture is the constant shortage of land. Of the 320 million

Only 224 million hectares of plowed land can be used, while the area of ​​arable land is about 1/2 of the world's arable land. According to the Chinese classification, only 21% of the land fund is classified as highly productive. These are, first of all, the plains of Northeast China, the middle and lower basins of the Yangtze River, the Pearl River Delta and

Sichuan Basin. These areas are distinguished by favorable conditions for crop production: a long vegetative period, high sums of active temperatures, an abundance of precipitation, which makes it possible to grow two, and in the extreme South of China even three crops per year.

The country's agriculture is traditionally characterized by crop production, primarily grain orientation, grain makes up 3% of the country's diet, and the main food crops are rice, wheat, corn, kaoliang, millet, tubers and soybeans.

About 20% of the cultivated area is occupied by rice, which accounts for about half of the total grain harvest in the country. The main rice-growing regions are located south of the Yellow River. Over the centuries-old history of rice cultivation in China, about 10 thousand varieties have been bred. Wheat, the second most important grain crop in the country, began to spread from the 6th-7th centuries. To date, no country in the world has such high wheat yields as in China, in addition to in large numbers sweet potatoes (yam) are grown, the tubers of which are rich in starch and sugar.

In China, the cultivation of industrial crops is of great importance. As a result of the prevailing price structure, their production is much more profitable than grain, cotton, vegetables and fruits, even though China is the third largest producer of cotton in the world. In addition, the cultivation of oilseeds, which are the main source of dietary fats, is widespread. The main ones are peanuts, rapeseed and sesame seeds (grown in Shandong province).

Not the last place is occupied by China in the cultivation of tea, which is used as medicine from the 4th century AD, and from the 6th century it becomes a common drink. Until now, most varieties of green and black tea are almost exclusively exported. Tea is grown in the provinces of Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, Ftsoi.

The high population density and intensive use of the land fund are reflected, first of all, in the development of animal husbandry, the role of which is generally insignificant. In China, two types of animal husbandry have historically developed: one is closely related to agriculture and is of an auxiliary nature; in the flat agricultural regions, mainly pigs, draft draft animals and poultry are bred. The western regions are characterized by extensive, nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralism.

The production and consumption of livestock products, especially per capita, are low. The most developed pig breeding, known in China even before our era, accounts for about 90% of all meat produced. A characteristic feature of animal husbandry in China is the high proportion of draft animals and the underdevelopment of dairy farming.

China is the world's largest producer of many types of agricultural products. Recent years have been very favorable for the development of agriculture and the entire rural economy. In general, the success of the industry was provided mainly by a high grain harvest (435 million tons of grain in 1995 - the highest level of production in history). In addition, the harvest of cotton and oilseeds has increased. Great efforts are being made to develop agriculture and speed up the creation of bases for forest exploration.

Animal husbandry is also developing steadily, although pig breeding continues to be the main industry. To date, China ranks second in the world in meat production.

At the beginning of 1995, at the All-China Conference devoted to the problems of work in the countryside, seven main directions in the field of agriculture were identified: stabilization and improvement of the main directions economic policy to villages, all-round increase in investment in agriculture, full use of agricultural resources, development of agriculture with a focus on agricultural technology, reform of the structure of circulation of agricultural products, continued streamlining of the structure of agriculture, production and consumption, strengthening the macroeconomic regulation of agriculture.

The reform is based on the preservation of the main directions of agro-policy with the introduction of family order systems, with the existence various forms property and management, as well as the organization of small rural enterprises. 1995 was the first year of the implementation of the task of bringing the agro-industrial complex to the first place in economic work. Increased attention to the agro-industrial complex provides, first of all, an increase in investment in the industry. In addition, the practice of compulsory participation of peasants in irrigation construction and other types of agricultural work is being resumed in many provinces. Gave the first results of many years

targeted efforts to introduce high-yielding varieties of wheat and cotton.

Successes in the development of the economy contributed to the stabilization economic situation, reducing the contradictions between public demand and supply, saturating the market with agricultural products and lowering prices.

At present, agriculture is still the basis of the agro-industrial complex in China, and it ranks first in the world in the collection of rice, one of the first in the production of wheat and cotton.

The largest number of plants in the world is cultivated in the Celestial Empire. About 50 types of field crops, about 60 garden plants and about 80 horticultural species are grown in China every year. In addition, a significant part of Chinese land has been given over to animal husbandry. In general, 60% of the country's population works in this industry.

Plants: arable land and fields

What is the most popular culture in China? Anyone can answer this question. In China, rice is the head of everything. It is loved and appreciated there just as cereals are valued all over the world.

The following plantings occupy the largest share of arable land in China:

  • Cereals;
  • Corn;
  • Potato;
  • beans;
  • And much more.

Due to the variety of climatic zones, China can afford to grow the maximum variety of food, industrial and medicinal crops. Sugar beet, cane and cotton are prominent examples of plants used for further technical production.

Even in the Celestial Empire, many fruits and vegetables are successfully harvested. Soybeans and even peanuts are cultivated. The country is rich in black soil and lands with a different soil composition, so every plant in the fields of China will definitely find its place.

Animals and their content

The livestock sector occupies only 20% of all sectors of agriculture in China. Many Chinese living outside the city keep chickens and pigs in their subsidiary farms.

Pig breeding in this state has an industrial scale. China contains 40% of the world's total pig population. A large share in breeding is occupied by a bird. They also raise draft animals here. With such a variety of animals, there is still not enough meat for residents in China, the population of the country is too large, and the area for pastures is small.

The silkworm is bred in the southern and eastern regions. Chinese silk is one of the highest quality on the planet. There are also beekeeping farms in China.

Fisheries are found in this state even in rice fields. The Chinese turn coastal shallows into mini-farms for breeding shrimp, shellfish and beneficial algae.

How is agriculture done in China?

Many agricultural works are done manually by the Chinese. To prolong spring and summer for plants in China, greenhouses are widely used.

In warm regions of the country, it is sometimes possible to harvest three crops per year. The government encourages small business executives with subsidies, as their products are of the highest quality and are oriented to the domestic market.

The type of agriculture is determined by the relief of the area, and not by the desires of the landowners themselves. In the mountains, small private farms predominate, while, for example, in Heilongjiang province, the state takes care of rural work. There arable lands are more extensive, suitable for the use of technical devices.

General development perspective rural industry China is very favorable. All the land there is spent extremely rationally, sometimes options are thought up for combining several industries on one site.

The main problem of China is overpopulation. That is why in Chinese stores there is sometimes a shortage of meat products, which is more than offset by fish and rice. With the development of technology, farming methods are also improved, then crops can grow to unprecedented heights. But the implementation of this approach is still in the theoretical field and is poorly reproduced in practice in Chinese lands and regions.

Agriculture

Story

Harvest distribution

bok choy

food crops

fiber crops

animal husbandry

Fishing

Production

culture volume
production (tons)
volume
production (tons)
volume of production
(tons)
1. Corn 113,180,000 304,770,000 508,390,000
2. Cotton 444,000 2,167,000 3,831,000
3. Oilseeds 2,564,000 5,218,000 26,012,000
4. Sugar cane 2,642,000 21,116,000 74,700,000
5. Sugar beet 191,000 2,702,000 8,640,000
6. Fat tobacco 43,000 1,052,000 2,185,000
7. Tea 41,000 268,000 676,000
8. Fruits 1,200,000 6,570,000 62,376,000
9. Meat 2,200,000 8,563,000 59,609,000
10. Seafood 450,000 4,660,000 41,220,000

Problems

strawberry fields in

Yunnan

international trade

Government influence

Suppliers

see also

  • History of China
  • History of agriculture
  • History of canals in China
  • Lettuce production in China
  • Wang Zhen (official)
  • Franklin Hiram King
  • Fishing in China

Links

Quotes

  • Needham, Joseph (1986). . Taipei: Cave Books Co., Ltd.

Further Reading

  • Hsu, cho-yun. Khan of Agriculture
  • FAO official statistics
  • monthly review, November 2009




1. Fig.

2. Wheat.

3. Tea.

Source of this material

History of development

crop production

animal husbandry

A female tractor driver in China, depicted on a 1964 poster.

Agriculture is a vital industry in China, employing more than 300 million farmers. China ranks first in the world in agricultural production, primarily producing rice, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, vegetable oil and soybeans.

Story

The development of agriculture throughout Chinese history played a key role in supporting population growth, today China has the most large population in the world. Analysis of stone tools by Professor Liu Li and others has shown that the origins of Chinese agriculture go back to the pre-agricultural Paleolithic period. During this time, hunters and gatherers used the same tools to collect wild plants that were subsequently used for millet and rice. Footnote error?: Incorrect call: no key provided

Remains of domesticated millet have been found in northern China at Xinglongwa, Houli, Dadian, Chishan, and a few at Peiligang. These sites cover the period 6250-5050 BC. Footnote error?: Incorrect call: key was not given. In Xinglongwa, millet made up only 15% of all plants that were used in 6200-5400 BC. e.; this figure changed by 99% between 2050-1550 BC that could demonstrate millet cultivation does not exist. Footnote error?: Invalid call: no key was specified

Excavations at Kuahuqiao, the earliest Neolithic sites in eastern China, have documented rice cultivation 7,700 years ago rice. It is possible that people in Kuahuqiao also cultivated wild rice. Footnote error?: Incorrect call: key was not given In Hemudu territory (circa 5500-3300 BC) in Yuyao and Banpo, near the city of Xi'an tools for harvesting millet and spade-shaped tools made of stone and bone were found. Evidence of settled rice cultivation has been found in the Hemudu area of ​​Tianluoshan (5000-4500 BC), by which time rice was already becoming the mainstay of agriculture in the Majiban culture of South China. specified

There is also a long tradition of the involvement of agriculture in Chinese mythology. In his book Continuous Agriculture: The Farmers of the Forties (1911), Professor Franklin Hiram King described and sang about the values ​​of traditional agricultural practices in China.

Improving the farming method

Due to China's status as a developing country and its acute shortage of arable land, agriculture in China has always been very labor intensive. However, throughout its history, many methods have been developed or adopted to increase agricultural output and production efficiency. They also used seeders to improve farming.

During the spring and autumn period (722-481 BC), there were two revolutionary improvements in agricultural technology. One of them was the use of cast-iron tools of pack animals to pull the plow, and the second was the large-scale development of rivers and the development of water-saving projects. Engineer Sunshu Ao, who lived in the 6th century BC. e. and Ximen Bao, who lived in the 5th century BC. e. are the two oldest hydraulic engineers in China, their work was aimed at improving irrigation systems. These advances were widespread during the subsequent Warring States period (403-221 BCE) and culminated in the construction of the Dujiangyan collosal irrigation system designed by Li Bing in 256 BCE. e. for the state of Qin in ancient Sichuan.

For agricultural purposes, the Chinese invented the hydraulically operated jackhammer in the 1st century BC during the Ancient Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). Although it had other uses, its main function is to grind, clean and grind grain, otherwise it would be done by hand. The Chinese also invented the rectangular sump chain pump in the 1st century AD, which is powered by a water wheel or the action of oxen on a mechanical wheel system. Although the chain pump has found application in public works to provide water to city and palace piping systems, it was also widely used to raise water from lower to higher levels to fill irrigation canals and farmland canals.

During the Eastern Jin (317-420) and Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), the Silk Road and other international trade routes further spread agricultural technology throughout China. Political stability and a growing labor force led to economic growth, people opened up large tracts of wasteland and built irrigation facilities to expand agricultural areas. Land use became more intensive and efficient, rice was grown twice a year, and livestock was used for plowing and fertilizing.

Under the Tang Dynasty (618-907), China became a unified feudal-agrarian society. Advances in agricultural engineering during this era included the development of the mouldboard plow and the watermill. Later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), cotton planting and weaving technology were widely adopted and improved.

While in 750 75% of the Chinese population lived north of the Yangtze River, by 1250 75% of the population already lived south of the river. This massive internal migration was made possible by the introduction of a fast maturing variety of rice from Vietnam that is suitable for multi-crop cultivation.

During the Qing, Ming and Yuan dynasties, there was an increase in the organization of collective assistance between farmers.

In 1909, in the United States, Franklin Hiram King, an agricultural professor, made an extensive tour of China (as well as Japan and briefly Korea) and described modern agricultural methods for that time. He positively described China's agriculture as "continuous agriculture" and his book The Farmers of the Forties was published posthumously in 1911, becoming an agricultural classic and lawyers' favorite guide to organic farming.

People's Republic of China

After the Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War, control of agricultural land was taken from the landowners and redistributed among 300 million peasants. In 1952, the government, gradually consolidating its power after the civil war, began to organize the peasants into collectives. Three years later, these teams were merged into production cooperatives adopting the socialist model of collective land ownership. The government then formally took control of the land in 1956, further structuring farmland into large state-owned collective farms.

In 1958, the Great Leap Forward campaign initiated by Mao Zedong placed land use under more stringent state regulation to improve agricultural production. In particular, the sparrow eradication campaign had a direct negative impact on agriculture. Collectives were organized into communes, private food production was forbidden, and collective consumption became compulsory. Also, a lot of emphasis was placed on industrialization, instead of agriculture. The agricultural inefficiency created by this campaign led to the Great Chinese Famine, resulting in the deaths of 14 million people according to the government and between 20 and 43 million according to scientific estimates. Although private plots were reclaimed in 1962 due to this failure, the communes remained the predominant rural units. economic organization during the Cultural Revolution, with Mao's championed "learn from Tachai" campaign. The semi-literate party secretary Tachai Chen Yungi was among those outsmarted by Deng Xiaoping after Mao's death: in 1982-1985. Dajay-style communes were gradually replaced by parishes.

In 1978, the "four modernizations" campaign created a system of family responsibility for productivity, which dissolved the communes and gave responsibility for agricultural production to individual households. They now set quotas for the crops they must provide to their collective unit in exchange for tools, draft animals, seeds, and other necessities. Households that now lease land from their collectives are free to use their farmland as they see fit as long as they meet these quotas. This freedom provided more opportunities for individual families to meet their individual needs. In addition to these structural changes, the Chinese government is also involved in irrigation projects (such as the Three Gorges), runs large state-owned farms, and encourages mechanization and the use of fertilizers.

By 1984, with about 99% of the collective farm production teams adopting family responsibility for productivity, the government began further economic reforms, primarily aimed at liberalizing agricultural pricing and marketing. In 1984, the government replaced forced deliveries with voluntary contracts between farmers and the government. Later in 1993, the government abolished the 40-year-old grain rationing system, which resulted in over 90 percent of all annual agricultural products being sold at market prices.

Since 1994, the government has introduced a number of policy changes aimed at limiting grain imports and increasing economic stability. Among these policy changes was the artificial increase in grain prices above market levels. This led to an increase in grain production, placing the heavy burden of maintaining these prices on the government. In 1995, the "Government Grain Production Responsibility System" was established, in which provincial governors became responsible for balancing the supply of grain, as well as demand and stabilizing grain prices in their provinces. Later, in 1997, the Four Branches and One Perfection program was implemented in order to ease some of the monetary burden burdening the government on its grain policy.

As China continues to industrialize, vast areas of agricultural land are being converted into industrial land. Farmers forced to move as a result of this urban expansion often become labor migrants in factories, but another section of farmers feel disenfranchised and cheated by the encroachment of industry and the growing disparity between urban and rural wealth and income.

The newest innovation in Chinese agriculture is the push towards organic farming. This rapid implementation of organic agriculture simultaneously serves several purposes: safety food products, the health benefits, the possibility of exports, and the provision of price premiums for the products of rural communities can help stem the migration of rural workers to the cities. In the mid-1990s, China became a net grain importer as its unsustainable groundwater mining practices effectively removed a significant amount of land from fertile farmland.

Main types of agricultural products

Harvest distribution

Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15% of the total land area is suitable for cultivation. China's arable land, which accounts for only 10% of the world's total arable land, supports more than 20% of the world's population. Of these approximately 1.4 million square kilometers of arable land, only about 1.2% (116,580 square kilometers) are permanently cropped and 525,800 square kilometers are irrigated. The land is divided into approximately 200 million households, with an average land size of only 0.65 hectares (1.6 acres).

The limited space for agriculture in China has been a problem throughout its history, leading to chronic food shortages and famine. While the production efficiency of farmland increased over time, efforts to expand to the west and north met with limited success because these lands were in most cases colder and drier than the traditional farmlands to the east. Since the 1950s, the farming space has also been pressured by growing demands from industry and cities.

suburban agriculture

bok choy

Greens grown in square areas outside railway stations in

Such growth in the size of cities, such as the expansion of the Beijing Administrative Region from 4,822 km² in 1956 to 16,808 km² in 1958, has resulted in more widespread use suburban agriculture. This "fringe farming" meant that more than 70% of Beijing's non-staple food, mostly vegetables and milk, was produced by the city itself in the 1960s and 1970s. Recently, with relative food security in China, agriculture in suburban areas has led to an improvement in the quality of available food, but not an increase in its quantity. One of the latest experiments in suburban agriculture is the state-of-the-art agricultural science demonstration park in Xiaotangshan.

food crops

About 75% of China's cultivated area is used for food crops. Rice is the most important crop in China, covering approximately 25% of the cultivated area. Most rice is grown south of the Huai River, in the Zhujiang Delta, and in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan.

Wheat is the second most common cereal crop grown in most parts of the country, especially in the North China Plain and in the Wei and Fen valleys of the Loess Plateau, as well as in the provinces of Jiangsu, Hubei and Sichuan. Corn and millet are grown in the north and northeast of China, and oats in Inner Mongolia and Tibet.

Other crops include sweet potatoes in the south, white potatoes in the north, and various other fruits and vegetables. Tropical fruits are grown on the island of Hainan, apples and pears are grown in the northern regions of Liaoning and Shandong.

Oilseeds are important in Chinese agriculture as they replace edible and industrial oils and make up a significant share of agricultural exports. In North and Northeast China, Chinese soybeans are grown and used in tofu and vegetable edible oil. China is also a leading producer of peanuts, which are grown in the provinces of Shandong and Hebei. Other cultivated oilseeds are sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseed and tung tree seeds.

Citrus fruits are the main cash crops in South China, and their production is scattered along and south of the Yangtze river valley. Tangerines are the most popular citrus fruit in China, with about twice as many as oranges.

Other important food crops in China include green and jasmine tea (popular among the Chinese people), black tea (for export), sugar cane, and sugar beets. Tea plantations are located on the slopes of the middle Yangtze valley and in the southeastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. Sugarcane is grown in Guangdong and Sichuan, while sugar beets are grown in Heilongjiang and irrigated lands in Inner Mongolia. Lotus is widely cultivated in South China. Arabian coffee is grown in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

fiber crops

China is the leader in the production of cotton, which is grown everywhere, but especially in the regions of the North China Plain, in the Yangtze River Delta, in the middle of the Yangtze Valley and in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Other crops include ramie, flax, jute and hemp fibers. Sericulture and the practice of silkworm breeding are practiced in Central and South China.

animal husbandry

China has a large livestock population, as well as pigs and poultry, which are the most common. China's pig population and pork production are mainly located along the Yangtze River. In 2011, Sichuan had 51 million pigs (11% of China's total supply). In rural areas of Western China, sheep, goats and camels are raised by shepherds. In Tibet, domesticated yaks are bred for food, fuel, and shelter. Cattle, buffalo, horses, mules, and donkeys are also raised in China, and dairy farming has also recently been encouraged by the government, although approximately 92.3% of adults experience some level of lactose intolerance.

As the demand for delicacies grows, the production of exotic meat products increases. Based on data from a study of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 officially registered turtle farms in the survey year, 2002), they sold more than 92,000 tons of turtles (about 128 million animals) per year; this supposedly corresponds to an industrial production of more than 300 million turtles per year.

Increased incomes and citizens' demand for meat, especially pork, has led to a demand for improved breeds of livestock, breeding stock imported, in particular, from the United States. Some of these breeds are adapted to livestock farms.

Fishing

China accounts for about one third of the world's total fish production. Fishing, fish breeding in ponds and lakes accounts for more than half of its production. The main fishing regions are close to urban markets in the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River Valley and the Pearl River Delta.

Production

In the first fifty years, the People's Republic of China greatly increased agricultural production through organizational and technological improvements.

culture volume
production (tons)
volume
production (tons)
volume of production
(tons)
1. Corn 113,180,000 304,770,000 508,390,000
2. Cotton 444,000 2,167,000 3,831,000
3. Oilseeds 2,564,000 5,218,000 26,012,000
4. Sugar cane 2,642,000 21,116,000 74,700,000
5. Sugar beet 191,000 2,702,000 8,640,000
6. Fat tobacco 43,000 1,052,000 2,185,000
7. Tea 41,000 268,000 676,000
8. Fruits 1,200,000 6,570,000 62,376,000
9. Meat 2,200,000 8,563,000 59,609,000
10. Seafood 450,000 4,660,000 41,220,000

However, since 2000, the depletion of China's major aquifers has led to an overall decline in grain production, turning China into a net importer. The trend of China's dependence on food imports is expected to accelerate as the problem of water scarcity intensifies. Despite their potential, desalination systems are finding few customers because it is still cheaper to continue using rivers, lakes and aquifers even when they are depleted.

As of 2011, China was the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products. However, researcher Lin Erda stated a possible projected decline from 14% to 23% by 2050 due to water scarcity and other impacts on climate change; China increased the share of the budget for agriculture by 20% in 2009, and continues to support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other efforts, including investments such as the 30% green component of the $586 billion financial stimulus package. dollars, announced in November 2008.

Problems

strawberry fields in

Yunnan

Agricultural market inefficiency

Despite the rapid growth in production, the Chinese agricultural sector still faces a number of challenges. Farmers in several provinces such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, Liaoning and Xinjiang often face a period when it is very difficult to sell their agricultural products to customers due to lack of information about current conditions.

between producing farmers in countryside and the final consumer in the cities there is a chain of intermediaries. Due to the lack of information between them, it is very difficult for farmers to predict the demand for different kinds fruits and vegetables. In order to maximize their profits, they prefer to produce those fruits and vegetables that in the previous year led to the highest incomes for farmers in the region. However, if the majority of farmers do this, then this causes significant fluctuations in the supply of fresh products from year to year. Regarding scarce products, they can be produced in excess in one year, then in next year higher returns are expected. The result is an oversupply that forces producers to cut prices and sell at a loss. Thus, scarce products can become profitable in one year and unprofitable in the next, and vice versa.

Economic efficiency is even worse during the transportation of agricultural products from farms to real markets. According to the Department of Commerce, up to 25% of fruits and vegetables rot before being sold, compared to about 5% in a typical developed country. If middlemen cannot sell these rotten fruits, they pay farmers less than they would if they could sell most or even all of the fruits and vegetables. This reduces the income of farmers, although the problem is caused by post-production inefficiencies that they are not aware of during price negotiations with intermediaries.

These information and transport problems highlight the inefficiency of market mechanisms between farmers and final consumers, which prevent the former from taking advantage of the rapid development of the rest of the Chinese economy. As a result, small profits prevent them from investing in the necessary agricultural inputs (machines, seeds, fertilizers, etc.) to increase productivity and improve their living standards, from which the entire Chinese economy could benefit. This, in turn, increases the outflow of people from rural areas to cities, which are already facing problems of urbanization.

international trade

China is the world's largest importer of soybeans and other food crops and is expected to become the world's top agricultural importer over the next decade. In 2017, farmers from their field in Donggaozhuang started selling yarn on an online marketplace owned by Alibaba. Many farmers later sold their land to focus on online sales, as access to global consumers brought in much more income than traditional farming.

Although for many years the agricultural production in China was quite capable of feeding the country, in subsequent years China was forced to import grain. With a shortage of available farmland and an abundance of labor, it may be necessary to import land crops (such as wheat and rice) to save China's scarce cropland from high-value export products such as fruits, nuts or vegetables. However, in order to maintain an independent grain income and ensure food security, the Chinese government is implementing policies that stimulate grain production at the expense of more profitable crops. Despite severe restrictions on crop production, China's agricultural exports have increased significantly in recent years.

Government influence

One of the important motives for the intensification of international trade was the inclusion of China in the World trade organization(WTO) on December 11, 2001, leading to the reduction or elimination of tariffs on most of China's agricultural exports. As a result of the discovery international markets for Chinese agriculture, by 2004, the value of China's agricultural exports exceeded $17.3 billion (US). Since China's accession to the WTO, trade in agricultural products has not been liberalized to the same extent as trade in industrial goods. Markets within China remain relatively closed to foreign companies. Due to its large and growing population, it is speculated that if its agricultural markets were opened up, China would become a permanent net food importer, possibly even destabilizing the global food market. The barriers placed by the Chinese government on grain are not transparent, as China's state-owned grain trade is through its Grain, Oil and Food Import and Export Corporation (COFCO).

food security

As a developing country, China has relatively low sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards for its agricultural products. Government corruption, such as bribing a former head Government controlled Zheng Xiaoyu's Food and Drug Administration has also compounded regulatory difficulties in China Excessive pesticide residues, poor food hygiene, hazardous additives, heavy metal and other contaminant pollution, and misuse of veterinary drugs have led to restrictions on trade with such developed countries, like Japan, the United States and the European Union. These issues have also led to public outrage, such as the panic over melamine-containing dog food and restrictions on the import of carcinogenic contaminants, which have led to measures such as the China-free label. .

According to the Ministry of Defense environment People's Republic of China, about one tenth of China's agricultural land is contaminated with heavy metals.

organic food

Suppliers

China has developed a "Green Food" program in which products are certified for low pesticide content. This division was formulated into categories A and AA. This AA Green Food standard has been aligned with the International Federation of Ecological Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) international standards for organic farming, and formed the basis for the rapid expansion of organic agriculture in China.

see also

  • History of China
  • History of agriculture
  • History of canals in China
  • Lettuce production in China
  • China Green Food Development Center
  • Maximum water level in China
  • Wang Zhen (official)
  • Franklin Hiram King
  • Land use in the People's Republic of China
  • Fishing in China
  • Women in agriculture in China

Links

Quotes

  • Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics. Taipei: Cave Books Co., Ltd.

Further Reading

  • The Dragon and the Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reform in China and India edited by Ashok Gulati and Shenggen Fan (2007), Johns Hopkins University Press
  • Hsu, cho-yun. Khan of Agriculture(Washington, USA Press, 1980)
  • FAO official statistics
  • Farmers, Mao, and Discontent in the PRC: From the "Great Leap Forward" to Now Dongping Han, monthly review, November 2009
  • First National Agricultural Census in China (1997) National Bureau of Statistics of the PRC
  • Gale, Fred. (2013). The growth and evolution of China's agricultural support policies. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
  • Key Data Communiqué of China's Second National Agricultural Census (2006), no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 National Bureau of Statistics of China. Copies at the Internet Archive.

Psychologists from China and America published the results of studies that compared the properties of the mentality of the inhabitants of the "wheat" and "rice" regions of the Middle Kingdom. The scientists concluded that the agricultural traditions of the population affect the mentality of the population and its ability to an analytical way of thinking and individualism. The scientists published their research results in the journal Science.

Many mistakenly believe that China is a single cultural space. However, studies have shown that in China there are two distinct groups of people - "southerners" and "northerners". And the "southern" way of thinking is shaped by the centuries-old traditions of rice cultivation, which make people more dependent on each other. Differences in thought between East and West have formed in a similar way.
Scientists conducted several sociological surveys among several thousand students from different cities of China, according to which they assessed the propensity of young people to individualism or collectivism and analyzed their analytical abilities.
The study revealed a clear division of China mentality into two territories - south and north, with a border along the Yangtze River. Northerners were more prone to individualism and analytical thinking. And the southerners showed a greater desire for collectivism.
The identified zones exactly repeat the zones of wheat and rice cultivation in the ancient Chinese empire and in the modern PRC. This is because the cultivation of rice requires the collective efforts of many people, and each new farmer increases the chances of a large harvest. But the cultivation of wheat does not require special collective work and allows the peasants of the north to manage the economy separately.
This theory also explains why China did not have an industrial breakthrough in the Middle Ages. As a result of wars and climate change, the administrative and political center of the empire was shifted to the south, and as a result, all technical innovations in the country came to naught.
As we can see, the current state of science and culture in modern times depends on the development of agriculture in antiquity. This is especially evident in agrarian China, because the traditions of agriculture in the country have a history of many thousands of years. Below we will introduce readers to the three main agricultural crops in China.

1. Fig.

The cultivation of rice fields in China has been practiced since ancient times. Numerous archaeological finds made in Zhejiang Province showed that rice was cultivated in China as early as 7,000 years ago. And the first written mention of rice refers to the "Book of Songs", written in 7 centuries BC. Later, huge irrigation buildings were created in southern China. Over the entire period of rice cultivation in the Middle Kingdom, more than 10 thousand varieties of this crop have been bred, many of which are cultivated to this day. In total, over 40,000 varieties and varieties of rice have been registered in the PRC today. China ranks 2nd after India in terms of area occupied by rice cultivation, in terms of production - 1st. The main "rice" areas of China are located in the south of the country. Rice is used in many popular dishes in China. For example, mifeng rice noodles are very popular. Another popular product is rice vodka and yellow wine. In addition, rice is considered a medicinal product that is good for digestion; baskets, mats, rice paper and colorful fans and umbrellas are made from rice straw.

2. Wheat.

The second most important agricultural crop in China is wheat. In China, both spring and winter wheat are widespread. The main factor in the distribution of wheat varieties is winter climatic conditions. The main sown areas occupied by wheat are located in the northern part of the country. And in Tibet there are the highest mountain crops of spring wheat in the world - they grow at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers. Winter wheat is mainly grown in the Yellow River region, where the cold weather lasts more than 200 days a year. But even in the Yangtze region, winter wheat crops are extremely important, although they play a secondary role.

3. Tea.

It is impossible to imagine the culture of China without tea. Today, China produces more than 700,000 tons of tea, a third of which is exported. The area of ​​land occupied by tea plantations exceeds 1 million hectares. Over the centuries of tea cultivation, the Chinese have bred a huge number of varieties of this drink. According to the latest data, the number of varieties of Chinese tea has exceeded 8 thousand items. All these types of tea are divided into 5 types according to the production method, 2 types according to quality, 4 types according to leaf size and 200 types according to the place of cultivation. Modern tea production in China is controlled by the Chinese National Corporation of Natural Products. Several dozens of standard varieties of this drink under certain names are allowed for export. But most of the grown tea - 80%, is consumed by the inhabitants of China themselves. Most of the exports are green and black teas, with a small amount of red teas. Each tea-producing province in China is proud of its own range of grown tea with the original name. Therefore, the names of one type of tea may sound different in different parts of China. In addition, certain varieties of green teas have several ancient names. Therefore, only a specialist can understand the issue of classifying various Chinese teas.

Source of this material

In China, it is customary to grow agricultural plants, and this is the main component of the country's crop production. Arable land covers more than one hundred million hectares, although this figure is gradually decreasing. Developed irrigation systems make it possible to successfully develop China's agriculture. Already at the end of the last century, farms in the Yandza River basin began to harvest two crops annually. In most regions of the vast country, the same thing happens.

Why is China's agriculture so successful? It's all about climate, landscape and soil diversity. Agroecosystems have adapted to different conditions. In the highlands and in Tibet it is good to breed cattle and animals for work in the field. The wide northern fields are ideal for the cultivation of cereals and legumes which are exported all over the world. Where there is not enough water (Shanxi, Gansu), drought-resistant crops are popular, the varieties of which are constantly being developed by agronomists. On the plains (Shandong, Hebei) you can safely get more than two crops, fertile soil easily feeds grain and oilseeds.

The area of ​​the Yangtze River is recognized as the most effective place for agriculture and animal husbandry. It is this place that annually produces most of the gross volume of production. Sichuan Province, Guadong also have a climate suitable for active farming. In the subtropics, even citrus fruits and pineapples can grow. These products are mainly exported.

History of development

In the second half of the twentieth century, agriculture in China began to develop rapidly. Losses of land for plowing began to be compensated by the fact that several crops per year could be harvested from them. Over 50 years, the yield of wheat has increased 5 times, maize - 4 times, and traditionally cultivated rice has tripled its performance.

In 1976, the use of nitrogen fertilizers began, which became available to the general population. They are still popular in China: 250 kg of fertilizer are used per hectare of crops. At the same time, the purchase of urea plants abroad began. Gradually, the country became a giant in the field of chemical fertilizers for agriculture.

After privatization, the land was given to families and began to be cultivated on the basis of a family contract. Gradually, the target figures were lowered and the lease term was extended.

crop production

As for cultivated crops, here the Chinese are striving to bring field, garden and horticultural crops to the forefront, the variety of varieties of which reaches dozens of names.

The most widely used crop is rice. It can be cultivated in all areas of the vast area of ​​China, its provinces and regions. Sometimes the crop is harvested two or three times. In second place is wheat, it is sown with winter and spring crops. It can also be grown throughout the country.

In addition to these crops, China's agriculture is engaged in the cultivation of corn, barley, and millet. A popular variety of sorghum is kaoliang. Among the oilseeds, the Chinese have chosen peanuts, which have taken root well on the eastern side. Legumes are widely represented by soybeans, peas and fodder varieties. Soy is extremely popular with the Chinese, they have bred 1200 varieties of this crop. Sweet potatoes, yams, and cassava are also cultivated.

Chinese agriculture is not complete without cotton, sugar cane and beets. A lot of tea is produced - the favorite drink of the country's population.

animal husbandry

In this area of ​​agriculture, China is not doing well. The production of meat and milk is only 20% of the total. Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of animals raised (for example, almost half of the world's pig population), production per capita is not enough.

Raising pigs is the predominant livestock item in China. Among all meat, the local population chooses pork in 9 out of 10 cases. Each peasant has a small subsidiary plot. Most often, however, the Chinese raise cattle to work in the fields. These are horses, donkeys, oxen.

Dairy products are produced in suburban farms. Goats and sheep are common in the farms of the northern regions of the country, their cultivation is aimed at providing light industry China.

Unlike animals, birds are more readily bred. Chickens, geese, turkeys are grown in private household plots. The suburb is provided with poultry meat.

Other branches of agriculture in China

In China, beekeeping and sericulture are very common. Apiaries can be found in every corner of this large country, but most of all - in the north and east. The second place in the world in the supply of beekeeping products went to China. The mulberry and oak silkworms are grown in the south and north, respectively. This is a traditional type of economy, dating back more than 4 thousand years.

Fishing in China is very popular. Fish are bred right in the rice fields, shrimp, algae and various shellfish are grown near the seas.

The first region can be called predominantly grain-growing. It covers almost the entire Northeast and territorially corresponds primarily to the vast Songliao (Manchurian) plain with fertile chernozem-like soils and forest-steppe landscapes. This is one of the main granaries of the country with crops of spring wheat and kaoliang - a variety of sorghum, which was known in China as early as the 12th century. Part of northern China also belongs to this region.

The second district has grain-growing, cotton-vodka specialization. Its core is the Great China Plain (North China Plain). The ideally flat surface of this plain, formed by the sediments of the Yellow River and other rivers, which now flow above its level in embanked channels, is a typical anthropogenic agricultural landscape, almost completely cultivated. It is the country's main winter wheat and cotton growing area, second only to the northeastern soybean cultivation area, which has been cultivated here for thousands of years. Agriculture on the Great Plain of China, with its subtropical monsoon climate characterized by rather cold and dry winters, is carried out with artificial irrigation. Therefore, the waters of the Huang He, Huai He, the Great Canal, which crosses the plain in the meridional direction, are widely used for this purpose. Its entire surface is literally dotted with large and small irrigation canals.

Rice. 104. Agricultural regions of China

In the west, the Great Plain of China is also adjacent to the Loess Plateau, which is part of this region, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River; the thickness of loess covers here reaches 600 m. Its area exceeds 600 thousand km2, and 80 million people live on this territory. The main grain crop here is also winter wheat, but there are also cotton crops. The spread of loess and zheltozem led to the fact that this entire vast region was often referred to as yellow China.

The third region has a clearly defined rice-growing specialization. It occupies mainly that part of East China, which is located in the Yangtze basin. Its northern border is usually drawn along the Qinling Range, which rises to a height of up to 4000 m and is an important climate divide, and further east along the river. Huaihe. Its southern border is formed by the Nanling Range, which separates the Yangtze and Xijiang basins. The climate in the region is subtropical, monsoonal. Due to the predominance of hilly terrain, the area of ​​plowed land here is generally not as large as in the North China Plain, but the land adjacent to the Yangtze Valley is almost completely plowed.

A special role in the west of this region is played by the province of Sichuan with its center in the city of Chengdu. And not only because it is one of the most populated provinces in China. But also because it occupies a rather isolated Sichuan basin, fenced off by mountains, also called the Red Basin due to the spread of red soils. Hot, humid summers and warm winters provide year-round vegetation here. Almost all agricultural crops known in China are grown in Sichuan (this word in translation means “four rivers”), and it is no coincidence that the figurative name Tianfu zhi guo, the Land of Heavenly Abundance, has long been attached to it. The most notable feature of her cultural landscape artificial terraces serve as narrow ribbons encircling the slopes of hills and mountains. This is one of the granaries of the country, where, with artificial irrigation, two or three crops of rice, wheat, and vegetables are harvested per year. Sugarcane, tea, tobacco, and citrus fruits are also cultivated here. The entire area of ​​the Yangtze basin and Sichuan became known as green China.

The fourth region covers the tropical part of South China, located south of the Nanling Range. This is an area of ​​typical monsoonal climate, the distribution of yellow and red soils. For the river basin Xijiang, the coast of the South China Sea and about. Hainan is characterized by landscapes of humid tropics. The main crop here is rice, which produces two or even three crops a year. The area also supplies a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits. Of the industrial crops, the main one is sugar cane.

The fifth region specializes in grazing and covers the zone of steppes, deserts and semi-deserts of Northwest China and Inner Mongolia. Farming here is carried out only in the oases located in the Dzhungar and Kashgar basins. This is the so-called dry China.

Finally, the sixth district specializes in transhumant animal husbandry, in which cattle graze in highland pastures in summer and in the valleys in winter. Geographically, it basically coincides with the world's largest Tibetan Plateau, the surface of which is formed by high-altitude, mostly rubble deserts and semi-deserts. It is no coincidence that this area is called high China or cold China. The main food crop here is the local hardy zinc barley. And crops of spring wheat reach a height of 4000 m.

China is known as one of the world's major producers of agricultural products (Table 37). For geography, the study of this industry on the example of such a huge country as China is especially interesting from the standpoint of highlighting internal differences and agricultural zoning. Acquaintance with the relevant sources shows that such zoning can be more fractional and more generalized. In the second case, usually six agricultural regions.

First district can be called predominantly grain-growing. It covers almost the entire Northeast and territorially corresponds primarily to the vast Songliao (Manchurian) plain with fertile chernozem-like soils and forest-steppe landscapes. This is one of the main granaries of the country with crops of spring wheat and kaoliang - a variety of sorghum, which was known in China as early as the 12th century. Part of northern China also belongs to this region.

Second district has a grain-growing-cotton-vodcheskoe specialization. Its core is the Great China Plain (North China Plain). The ideally flat surface of this plain, formed by the sediments of the Yellow River and other rivers, which now flow above its level in embanked channels, is a typical anthropogenic agricultural landscape, almost completely cultivated. It is the country's main winter wheat and cotton growing area, second only to the northeastern soybean cultivation area, which has been cultivated here for thousands of years. Agriculture on the Great Plain of China, with its subtropical monsoon climate characterized by rather cold and dry winters, is carried out with artificial irrigation. Therefore, the waters of the Huang He, Huai He, the Great Canal, which crosses the plain in the meridional direction, are widely used for this purpose. Its entire surface is literally dotted with large and small irrigation canals.

Rice. 104. Agricultural regions of China

In the west, the Great Plain of China is also adjacent to the Loess Plateau, which is part of this region, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River; the thickness of loess covers here reaches 600 m. Its area exceeds 600 thousand km2, and 80 million people live on this territory. The main grain crop here is also winter wheat, but there are also cotton crops. The spread of loess and zheltozems led to the fact that this entire vast area was often called yellow China.

Third district has a clearly defined rice-growing specialization. It occupies mainly that part of East China, which is located in the Yangtze basin. Its northern border is usually drawn along the Qinling Range, which rises to a height of up to 4000 m and is an important climate divide, and further east along the river. Huaihe. Its southern border is formed by the Nanling Range, which separates the Yangtze and Xijiang basins. The climate in the region is subtropical, monsoonal. Due to the predominance of hilly terrain, the area of ​​plowed land here is generally not as large as in the North China Plain, but the land adjacent to the Yangtze Valley is almost completely plowed.

The main area of ​​irrigated rice cultivation is the alluvial lowlands along the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze. In different directions they are furrowed by canals, which are used for navigation, irrigation, fishing and serve as reservoirs during the period of flood waters. Real "rice bowls" are the basins of Dongting and Poyang lakes. South of the Yangtze, there are usually two crops of rice a year. In addition to rice, wheat, cotton, various legumes and oilseeds are also cultivated here. And the famous tea plantations are located on the hillsides, mostly south of the Yangtze Valley.

A special role in the west of this region is played by the province of Sichuan with its center in the city of Chengdu. And not only because it is one of the most populated provinces in China. But also because it occupies a rather isolated Sichuan basin, fenced off by mountains, also called the Red Basin due to the spread of red soils. Hot, humid summers and warm winters provide year-round vegetation here. Almost all agricultural crops known in China are grown in Sichuan (this word in translation means “four rivers”), and it is no coincidence that the figurative name Tianfu zhi guo, the Land of Heavenly Abundance, has long been attached to it. The most notable feature of its cultural landscape is the artificial terraces that encircle the slopes of hills and mountains in narrow ribbons. This is one of the granaries of the country, where, with artificial irrigation, two or three crops of rice, wheat, and vegetables are harvested per year. Sugarcane, tea, tobacco, and citrus fruits are also cultivated here. The name of the entire area of ​​the Yangtze basin and Sichuan was established greenChina.

Fourth district covers the tropical part of Southern China, located south of the Nanling Range. This is an area of ​​typical monsoonal climate, the distribution of yellow and red soils. For the river basin Xijiang, the coast of the South China Sea and about. Hainan is characterized by landscapes of humid tropics. The main crop here is rice, which produces two or even three crops a year. The area also supplies a variety of tropical and subtropical fruits. Of the industrial crops, the main one is sugar cane.

Fifth district specializes in grazing and covers the steppes, deserts and semi-deserts of Northwest China and Inner Mongolia. Farming here is carried out only in the oases located in the Dzhungar and Kashgar basins. This so-called dry China.

Finally, sixth district specializes in transhumant animal husbandry, in which cattle graze in high mountain pastures in summer and in valleys in winter. Geographically, it basically coincides with the world's largest Tibetan Plateau, the surface of which is formed by high-altitude, mostly rubble deserts and semi-deserts. It is no coincidence that this area is called high China or cold China. The main food crop here is the local hardy zinc barley. And crops of spring wheat reach a height of 4000 m.

Recently, China has paid much attention to forecasts. possible consequences for agriculture country global warming. According to the climate modeling, by 2030 the average annual temperatures will increase by 0.88 °C compared to modern ones, by 2050 by 1.4, and in 2100 by 2.9 °C. These climate changes will also have their own regional characteristics. The biggest beneficiary of warming

Northeast, where the growing season and crop yields will increase. Rainfall will slightly increase in the arid Northwest. The northern border of the three-crop harvest will move further north - from the Yangtze valley to the Yellow River valley. But at the same time, water shortages will increase in many parts of the country, which will only partially be compensated by the melting of glaciers in Tibet, which feed many rivers.

In China, it is customary to grow agricultural plants, and this is the main component of the country's crop production. Arable land covers more than one hundred million hectares, although this figure is gradually decreasing. Developed irrigation systems make it possible to successfully develop China's agriculture. Already at the end of the last century, farms in the Yandza River basin began to harvest two crops annually. In most regions of the vast country, the same thing happens.

Why is China's agriculture so successful? It's all about climate, landscape and soil diversity. Agroecosystems have adapted to different conditions. In the highlands and in Tibet it is good to breed cattle and animals for work in the field. The wide northern fields are ideal for the cultivation of cereals and legumes, which are exported all over the world. Where there is not enough water (Shanxi, Gansu), drought-resistant crops are popular, the varieties of which are constantly being developed by agronomists. On the plains (Shandong, Hebei) you can safely get more than two crops, fertile soil easily feeds grain and oilseeds.

The area of ​​the Yangtze River is recognized as the most effective place for agriculture and animal husbandry. It is this place that annually produces most of the gross volume of production. Sichuan Province, Guadong also have a climate suitable for active farming. In the subtropics, even citrus fruits and pineapples can grow. These products are mainly exported.

History of development

In the second half of the twentieth century, agriculture in China began to develop rapidly. Losses of land for plowing began to be compensated by the fact that several crops per year could be harvested from them. Over 50 years, the yield of wheat has increased 5 times, maize - 4 times, and traditionally cultivated rice has tripled its performance.

In 1976, the use of nitrogen fertilizers began, which became available to the general population. They are still popular in China: 250 kg of fertilizer are used per hectare of crops. At the same time, the purchase of urea plants abroad began. Gradually, the country became a giant in the field of chemical fertilizers for agriculture.

After privatization, the land was given to families and began to be cultivated on the basis of a family contract. Gradually, the target figures were lowered and the lease term was extended.

crop production

As for cultivated crops, here the Chinese are striving to bring field, garden and horticultural crops to the forefront, the variety of varieties of which reaches dozens of names.

The most widely used crop is rice. It can be cultivated in all areas of the vast area of ​​China, its provinces and regions. Sometimes the crop is harvested two or three times. In second place is wheat, it is sown with winter and spring crops. It can also be grown throughout the country.

In addition to these crops, China's agriculture is engaged in the cultivation of corn, barley, and millet. A popular variety of sorghum is kaoliang. Among the oilseeds, the Chinese have chosen peanuts, which have taken root well on the eastern side. Legumes are widely represented by soybeans, peas and fodder varieties. Soy is extremely popular with the Chinese, they have bred 1200 varieties of this crop. Sweet potatoes, yams, and cassava are also cultivated.

Chinese agriculture is not complete without cotton, sugar cane and beets. A lot of tea is produced - the favorite drink of the country's population.

animal husbandry

In this area of ​​agriculture, China is not doing well. The production of meat and milk is only 20% of the total. Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of animals raised (for example, almost half of the world's pig population), production per capita is not enough.

Raising pigs is the predominant livestock item in China. Among all meat, the local population chooses pork in 9 out of 10 cases. Each peasant has a small subsidiary plot. Most often, however, the Chinese raise cattle to work in the fields. These are horses, donkeys, oxen.

Dairy products are produced in suburban farms. Goats and sheep are common in the farms of the northern regions of the country, their cultivation is aimed at providing light industry in China.

Unlike animals, birds are more readily bred. Chickens, geese, turkeys are grown in private household plots. The suburb is provided with poultry meat.

Other branches of agriculture in China

In China, beekeeping and sericulture are very common. Apiaries can be found in every corner of this large country, but most of all - in the north and east. The second place in the world in the supply of beekeeping products went to China. The mulberry and oak silkworms are grown in the south and north, respectively. This is a traditional type of economy, dating back more than 4 thousand years.

Fishing in China is very popular. Fish are bred right in the rice fields, shrimp, algae and various shellfish are grown near the seas.

Psychologists from China and America published the results of studies that compared the properties of the mentality of the inhabitants of the "wheat" and "rice" regions of the Middle Kingdom. The scientists concluded that the agricultural traditions of the population affect the mentality of the population and its ability to an analytical way of thinking and individualism. The scientists published their research results in the journal Science.

Many mistakenly believe that China is a single cultural space. However, studies have shown that in China there are two distinct groups of people - "southerners" and "northerners". And the "southern" way of thinking is shaped by the centuries-old traditions of rice cultivation, which make people more dependent on each other. Differences in thought between East and West have formed in a similar way.
Scientists conducted several sociological surveys among several thousand students from different cities of China, according to which they assessed the propensity of young people to individualism or collectivism and analyzed their analytical abilities.
The study revealed a clear division of China mentality into two territories - south and north, with a border along the Yangtze River. Northerners were more prone to individualism and analytical thinking. And the southerners showed a greater desire for collectivism.
The identified zones exactly repeat the zones of wheat and rice cultivation in the ancient Chinese empire and in the modern PRC. This is because the cultivation of rice requires the collective efforts of many people, and each new farmer increases the chances of a large harvest. But the cultivation of wheat does not require special collective work and allows the peasants of the north to manage the economy separately.
This theory also explains why China did not have an industrial breakthrough in the Middle Ages. As a result of wars and climate change, the administrative and political center of the empire was shifted to the south, and as a result, all technical innovations in the country came to naught.
As we can see, the current state of science and culture in modern times depends on the development of agriculture in antiquity. This is especially evident in agrarian China, because the traditions of agriculture in the country have a history of many thousands of years. Below we will introduce readers to the three main agricultural crops in China.

1. Fig.

The cultivation of rice fields in China has been practiced since ancient times. Numerous archaeological finds made in Zhejiang Province showed that rice was cultivated in China as early as 7,000 years ago. And the first written mention of rice refers to the "Book of Songs", written in 7 centuries BC. Later, huge irrigation buildings were created in southern China. Over the entire period of rice cultivation in the Middle Kingdom, more than 10 thousand varieties of this crop have been bred, many of which are cultivated to this day. In total, over 40,000 varieties and varieties of rice have been registered in the PRC today. China ranks 2nd after India in terms of area occupied by rice cultivation, in terms of production - 1st. The main "rice" areas of China are located in the south of the country. Rice is used in many popular dishes in China. For example, mifeng rice noodles are very popular. Another popular product is rice vodka and yellow wine. In addition, rice is considered a medicinal product that is good for digestion; baskets, mats, rice paper and colorful fans and umbrellas are made from rice straw.

2. Wheat.

The second most important agricultural crop in China is wheat. In China, both spring and winter wheat are widespread. The main factor in the distribution of wheat varieties is winter climatic conditions. The main sown areas occupied by wheat are located in the northern part of the country. And in Tibet there are the highest mountain crops of spring wheat in the world - they grow at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers. Winter wheat is mainly grown in the Yellow River region, where the cold weather lasts more than 200 days a year. But even in the Yangtze region, winter wheat crops are extremely important, although they play a secondary role.

3. Tea.

It is impossible to imagine the culture of China without tea. Today, China produces more than 700,000 tons of tea, a third of which is exported. The area of ​​land occupied by tea plantations exceeds 1 million hectares. Over the centuries of tea cultivation, the Chinese have bred a huge number of varieties of this drink. According to the latest data, the number of varieties of Chinese tea has exceeded 8 thousand items. All these types of tea are divided into 5 types according to the production method, 2 types according to quality, 4 types according to leaf size and 200 types according to the place of cultivation. Modern tea production in China is controlled by the Chinese National Corporation of Natural Products. Several dozens of standard varieties of this drink under certain names are allowed for export. But most of the grown tea - 80%, is consumed by the inhabitants of China themselves. Most of the exports are green and black teas, with a small amount of red teas. Each tea-producing province in China is proud of its own range of grown tea with the original name. Therefore, the names of one type of tea may sound different in different parts of China. In addition, certain varieties of green teas have several ancient names. Therefore, only a specialist can understand the issue of classifying various Chinese teas.

Source of this material

The closed Chinese economy has been reoriented towards the market since the late $70s and today is one of the largest in the world. Since $2010$, the country has become the world's largest exporter. Chinese reforms began in agriculture through the gradual liberalization of prices, financial decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises. In addition, a diverse banking system was created, the development of stock markets, the private sector grew rapidly. The country has opened up to foreign trade and investment. The implementation of all planned reforms proceeded gradually.

Remark 1

Today the country belongs to the world's main industrial superpower. It is a leader in the nuclear industry, space engineering, in the extraction of valuable ores, oil, uranium, and gas. Despite this, GDP is replenished mainly through foreign trade. The world ranking shows that China's export volume is in the first position and income from this sector is about $80$% of China's GDP. Export activity covers $20 million workers, and the country has close trade relations with $182 million countries of the world. Well-known and sought-after Chinese products are electronics, automobiles, textiles, toys, and telecommunications equipment.

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There are hundreds of industries in Chinese industry, both traditional for the country and new, rapidly developing ones. The latter include oil refining, pharmaceuticals, aviation and electronic manufacturing. The food industry is of great importance for the country. In more than thirty years from $1978 to $2010, China's GDP increased by more than $10 times. Such a leap was facilitated by the restructuring of the economy and increasing its efficiency. In terms of the total value of the service sector produced by the country, China follows the United States. The world economic crisis did not bypass China either, in $2009$ the demand for Chinese exports decreased. But, I must say that China managed to recover to a growth of $10$% per year, ahead of the industrialized countries.

Incentive policy pursued ruling regime during the financial crisis, allows the country's economy to grow at a steady and pace. China's economy under conditions market economy is being developed under the leadership of the CPC on the basis of five-year plans. The country's leadership believes that by $2020, China will overtake the United States in terms of total GDP. For rapid structural changes in the economy, the country pays great attention to its own education system, teaching students abroad. The import of technologies that allow the development of progressive sectors of the economy - the production of software, new materials, biotechnology, health care - is encouraged in every possible way. The country has created its own "Silicon Valley". There are also side effects of the intensification of production, this is, first of all, hidden unemployment in rural areas. Experts believe that it exceeds the official figures - $ 4.6% - approximately twice.

Chinese industry

Business activity and industry in connection with the ongoing reforms have changed in the territorial distribution. Industrial activity swept the coastal regions, which was a consequence of the influx of foreign investment and the formation of special economic zones.

China today is the world leader in:

  1. Mining of coal, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood;
  2. Production of coke, ferrous metals, aluminum, zinc, tin, nickel;
  3. Production of household appliances - televisions, telephones, washing and sewing machines, watches, cameras, etc.;
  4. Food production - meat, grain, potatoes, vegetables, fruits;
  5. Automotive production – in $2010 $18 million cars rolled off the assembly line.

Industry in the country began to develop from the founding of the People's Republic. Machine-building and the metallurgical industry were the top priority, which even today provide $20$-$30% of the cost of the total volume industrial production. It should be noted that the range and quality of products were low, and extensive growth prevailed over intensive. The industry structure of modern China is represented by $360$ industries. During the years of people's rule, the country's GDP increased by more than $30 times. Over the past decade, it has steadily increased annually by $10$%, outstripping the major developed countries of the world.

coal industry in the structure of the fuel and energy balance still occupies leading place and remains at the level of $74$%. Coal deposits are distributed unevenly throughout the country. The main deposits are concentrated in the north and northwest of China. The largest is the field near the city of Datong. The bulk of the coal is mined in the mines of Anhui and Shandong provinces. The coal mined here can be used in metallurgy and in everyday life. Coal is used in thermal power plants and railways China, where $9/10$ of locomotives are steam locomotives.

Oil industry provides the country with $16% of foreign exchange earnings. More than $32$ of enterprises are engaged in oil production in the country, and part of the oil is exported to Japan. Large oil refineries are located in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Shandong, Dagang, Qaidam, and Yumen. The search for oil continues on the continental shelf.

Chemical industry China is engaged in the production of fertilizers, plastics, synthetic fibers. The country is the world's leading producer of nitrogen fertilizers. The production of synthetic fabrics has caused the rapid growth of the textile industry, which is located everywhere, but there are also specialized textile centers - Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin.

mechanical engineering provides the main export product. The reforms have had a positive impact on the automotive industry, and China is increasing their production every year, becoming the number one automaker in $2009$. Since 2010, China has been producing a lot of Vehicle and at the same time is their largest buyer. Mechanical engineering is one of the important manufacturing branches of Chinese industry, which employs $17 million people and produces $53 thousand products. Large enterprises are located in Shanghai, Shenyang, Harbin, Beijing, Dalian, etc. Machine-building enterprises produce not only cars, locomotives, equipment, but also ships of various types and classes. In the production of bicycles, the country is in first place in the world.

IN metallurgical production employs more than $3 million people. There are iron and steel works in all provinces, autonomous regions and cities of central subordination. Metallurgical production has a low technical level and is partially updated through imports. Metallurgical enterprises are very actively involved in air pollution, because about $70$% of plants operate without treatment facilities. There are more than $2,000 non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises in the country and they are located in such provinces as Liaoning, Hunan, Yunnan, Gansu, Guangxi. Chinese tin, antimony, mercury, tungsten and molybdenum concentrate are in great demand in the foreign market. The country does not satisfy domestic needs for such metals as aluminum, copper, lead, zinc and imports from other countries.

Textile and food today are among the leading branches of Chinese industry. They account for $21$% of gross industrial output. There are $23.3 thousand textile enterprises, which annually produce products worth $123 billion yuan. $1/3$ part of textile production corresponds to world standards. The food industry in China has a very complex sectoral composition, including more than $40$ of sub-sectors. Food products are produced by about $70 thousand enterprises, with an annual output of $70 billion yuan.

Agriculture in China

China's agriculture is the basis for the development of light industry and, above all, textile and food industries. Its leading industry is crop production. In 2007, the country harvested a record grain harvest of $500 million tons in its entire history.

The Chinese government has been special events to support the peasants:

  1. Exemption from agricultural tax;
  2. Exemption from tax on slaughter;
  3. Exemption from tax on special agricultural products;
  4. Providing special subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery;
  5. Minimum state purchase prices for grain crops;
  6. Simplified scheme for obtaining loans;
  7. Providing free assistance.

In $2006, the farmers were allocated funds in the amount of $1.4 billion. All these events allowed the Chinese peasant to feel confident in the future. The peasantry was covered by a social insurance system, including social benefits, social insurance, health insurance, etc. The Chinese government plans to turn the country into a leading country in the field of rural science by $2020$.

Not only at present, but also in the near future, the priorities in the development of agriculture are:

  1. Intensification of state policy in the interests of agriculture;
  2. Growth of peasants' incomes and guaranteed supplies of the main agricultural products;
  3. Infrastructure construction in agriculture and improvement of conditions for this;
  4. The development of science and technology and the strengthening of their role in the development of agriculture.

Main production areas grain- Sichuan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Huan, Henan. Wheat occupies $1/6$ of the entire sown area, and rice occupies $20$%.

A variety of oilseeds, the main of which are peanuts, sesame

Numerous varieties green and black tea have an export value. The main tea-growing regions are Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, and Fujian.

Sericulture- the traditional branch of agriculture - for the production of silk fabrics in China ranks first in the world.

Crop production of the country is engaged not only in the cultivation of grain crops. By export vegetables and fruits China ranks first in the world and can fully satisfy not only domestic demand. Fruit production is $17% of the world volume.

animal husbandry also belongs to the steadily developing industries, among which the leading ones are pig breeding and cattle breeding. Poultry farming is developed in areas of large cities. In the coastal regions of the country they are engaged in fishing.

Remark 2

Chinese agriculture is characterized by the development of ancillary trade - weaving of mats, baskets, collection of medicinal plants.




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