Ecological Agriculture in China: Principles and Applications

Abstract

China, as a developing country, faces a unique combination of overpopulation, shortage of cultivated land, and a stretched economy. Compounding the problem, industrialization and overuse of natural resources has resulted in serious pressures on agriculture and environment. In order to solve issues regarding the environment, resources, energy, and food, agricultural development needs to be approached in a new way, and this chapter identifies a uniquely Chinese ecological agriculture (CEA), a sustainable development strategy that has significant potential as a way forward. This chapter takes an overview of ecological agriculture in China and the current status of research in the field. The key characteristics of CEA are discussed, and similarities and differences are set out with the usual alternative agriculture, ecological agriculture as known in the West, and with international sustainable agriculture. This chapter is based on studies extending over more than 20 years following the first introduction of CEA, and the accumulated principles and practices of CEA are summarized. Three case studies, representing typical ecological agriculture patterns, are discussed: ecological agriculture in mountainous regions, water‐collecting ecological agriculture in western China, and efforts to move from ecological agriculture to ecological industry. Finally, problems hindering the development of CEA, and avenues for future research, are pointed out.