Upland development policy in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

With the continued fall in the perperson availability of flat land suited to agriculture in China the development of upland areas is becoming crucial to the country's growth. This brings with it major management policy issues in the context of the current transition from a command economy to market socialism. This paper reviews current upland development policies and notes the lack of clear statements on the issue as well as any specific central governmental structure dealing with upland development matters. It is suggested that while the near-universal adoption of the household responsibility system has led to substantial increases in rural wealth in many parts of the country, it is clear that wealth-poverty gradients have become greater and that serious contradictions in policy have emerged. Forest policies are also reviewed, as the responsibility system has led to increased rates of felling, in part to meet increasing demand for timber and wood-fuel for kilns stimulated by the success of that system. The paper concludes by referring to a number of macro-level policy issues such as the search for ‘universal’ solutions, the apparent failure to provide an economic dimension in upland improvement strategies, and the obsession with large-scale projects.