Chinese Agricultural Policy Research Articles

Metricizing policy texts: Comprehensive dataset on China’s Agri-policy intensity spanning 1982–2023

Due to the lack of direct assessment metrics, existing studies on the intensity of agricultural policies often utilize indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of agriculture or the quantity of agricultural policies as measures. Optimizing methods for analyzing the intensity of agricultural policies will significantly impact parameter selection in agricultural policy research and the evaluation of policy effectiveness. In this study, we constructed a Chinese Agricultural Policy Corpus using agricultural policies released by various governmental agencies at the national level in China from 1982 to April 2023. We quantified the values of agricultural domain terms in the corpus and evaluated the intensity of each agricultural policy document. The validation results of this study indicate a strong correlation between the intensity of agricultural policies and agricultural GDP. The trend in agricultural GDP changes lags behind policy intensity by 2.5 years (at a 95% confidence level), thus validating the rationality of our constructed corpus, agricultural policy scoring dataset, and methodology.

Unravelling the bidirectional impact of Chinese agricultural subsidy policy on agricultural efficiency and farmers' income through panel data analysis

Unravelling the bidirectional impact of Chinese agricultural subsidy policy on agricultural efficiency and farmers' income through panel data analysis

Optimal design of agricultural insurance subsidies under the risk of extreme weather

Extreme weather events can pose a significant threat to the agricultural economy, and agricultural insurance serves as an effective tool to mitigate the risk. Motivated by the Chinese government agricultural policies, this study develops two theoretical models to analyze the full-cost insurance and the income insurance, and how should governments design insurance subsidies. Our results show that the government's optimal insurance subsidies under different insurance formats are closely related to the yield uncertainty and the production efficiency under the risk of extreme weather. When the production efficiency of the farmers is low, regardless of the subsidy level, the sufficient supply of the agricultural products can be guaranteed under full-cost insurance. However, when production efficiency is high, a lower subsidy level should be set under full-cost insurance, while a higher subsidy level is required under income insurance. Moreover, we find the optimal levels of the government insurance subsidies under different insurance formats may not always align with the interests of farmers. In the extension, we show that the government can maximize social welfare by ensuring the stable supply of agricultural products.

Exploring the role of agricultural subsidy policies for sustainable agriculture Based on Chinese agricultural big data

Agricultural subsidy policy is a policy means for the government to ensure the living standard of agricultural personnel and food security and improve the overall income of agricultural residents. With the gradual complication of the content of agricultural subsidies, the scale of various subsidies has also been improved accordingly. Sustainable agricultural subsidy policy has become the main research topic in the big data analysis environment. The per capita agricultural production still shows a downward trend year by year in the practical application of the concept of modernization policy. Facing this situation, this paper calculates the effect evaluation of agricultural subsidy policy from the way of big data analysis, and studies the optimization of subsidy policy system. The data mining technology in big data analysis method is used to collect the basic characteristics of agricultural energy subsidy policy. The Douglas calculation function is used to analyze the relationship between the amount of agricultural energy subsidies and the total production. The effect of Chinese agricultural subsidy policy is evaluated according to the calculation tools such as gray relationship calculation in big data econometric analysis and nonparametric data analysis DEA. At the same time, compared with the subsidy policies of other countries, it provides help for the optimization of Chinese system.

Analysis of Agricultural CO2 Emissions in Henan Province, China, Based on EKC and Decoupling

Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is highly concerning. Both the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis and decoupling analysis indicate a dynamic relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution, and each method has its own emphasis. The objective of this paper is to investigate the nexus between grain production and agricultural carbon emissions for the main grain-producing areas in China. Taking Henan Province, the second largest agricultural province, as an example, this paper examines the relationship between grain production and agricultural CO2 emissions during 2000–2019, using the EKC hypothesis and decoupling analysis. The results are as follows: (1) The estimation model of CO2 EKC shows the climbing stage of an inverted U-shaped relationship, which suggests that agricultural economic growth occurred at the cost of an increase in agricultural CO2 emissions in Henan Province during the past 20 years. (2) The results of the decoupling analysis show that incidences of weak decoupling and expansive coupling states took up most of the study period, accompanied by an occasionally strong decoupling state; decoupling and coupling states alternated irregularly, and no clear development trends were observed. (3) Considering the shape of the CO2 EKC and the decoupling state, environmental policies encouraged decoupling, but suffered from time lags and poor continuity; long-term incentives, such as an ecological compensation policy, could perhaps drive carbon emission reduction. On this basis, Chinese agricultural policy should combine environmentally targeted interventions with measures supporting production and farmers’ incomes, and environmental policy should also adapt to economic growth. Only when both supplement each other can sustainable agricultural goals be achieved.

Capital mobility and knowledge diffusion from China into Ghana's food production subsector: Implications for the law and politics of food sector development strategies

Chinese capital mobility and knowledge diffusion (CMKD) is visibly present in Ghana's agriculture sector. This has been crystallized in investments, trade, and inventor mobility. Situating this work within the Social Structure of Accumulation theory, I ask: How have Chinese capital mobility and knowledge diffusion influenced political interactions between state institutions and industry players in the agricultural sector? In what ways do Ghana's state institutions work to ensure she takes or refuses to take advantage of the opportunities which accompany Chinese capital mobility and knowledge diffusion? This study addressed these questions by analyzing qualitative data from 49 purposively selected end users of Chinese agricultural inputs, distributers, and co‐owners of Chinese agricultural input, experts, and policy makers in the agricultural sector. The study finds that state institutions' response to economic opportunities embedded in the Chinese capital mobility and knowledge diffusion in the sector was generally indifferent albeit some appreciable political interactions and institutional processes.

La politique agricole chinoise : changement de cap pour un même objectif

L’objectif de maîtrise de l’approvisionnement alimentaire s’est poursuivi tout au long de l’histoire chinoise. Mais l’évolution récente de la consommation alimentaire et les contraintes environnementales ont rendu inéluctable l’inflexion de la politique agricole productiviste poursuivie pendant des dizaines d’années. La nouvelle orientation repose sur la préservation du potentiel de production et des investissements à l’étranger pour sécuriser les achats sur le marché international et conserver le contrôle de l’offre. Cette stratégie place la Chine au cœur de la géoéconomie agricole mondiale, tant sur le plan du commerce international que des investissements.

Dynamic Price Discovery Process of Chinese Agricultural Futures Markets: An Empirical Study Based on the Rolling Window Approach

AbstractWe investigate the dynamic evolution of the price discovery function in Chinese agricultural futures markets using a newly developed rolling window cointegration approach. The results show that, compared with wheat and rice, the futures-spot cointegration relationship in the soybean and corn markets tends to be more durable and frequent. Dynamic cointegration analysis indicates that the recent market-oriented reforms in China have boosted the price discovery function of soybean and corn futures markets, whereas price stabilization policies tend to weaken the price discovery function of futures markets. The difference in price discovery function is attributed to differences in market mechanisms and Chinese agricultural policies.

Adapting to climate change: scenario analysis of grain production in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of future climate change and the corresponding adaptation activities on grain production and its regional distribution in China.Design/methodology/approachThis paper applied the Chinese Agricultural Policy Analysis model, in combination with the findings from agronomic literature with highly detailed agricultural census data, to conduct equilibrium analysis under alternative impact (seasonal drought and climate warming) scenarios and adaptation scenarios (promoting water-saving irrigation, introducing new varieties, and the integrated) associated with climate change.FindingsSimulation results indicate that climate change-induced seasonal drought and the resulting yield reduction will incur substantial losses to China’s grain production (by ~8 percent at a national scale). The application of water saving techniques can be an effective solution to seasonal drought. Introducing new varieties will increase the combination of promoting water-saving irrigation and new variety adoption will increase combination of promoting water-saving irrigation and new variety adoption constitute an effective approach to offsetting the negative effects of climate change on grain production.Research limitations/implicationsSimulation results indicate that climate change-induced seasonal drought and the resulting sown area reduction will incur substantial losses to China’s grain production by approximately 8 percent, despite farmers’ adaptation activities of switching from water use-intensive crops to drought-tolerant crops to mitigate this negative effect. The application of water saving techniques is an effective solution to seasonal drought; it can lead to a nationwide increase in the sown area by 3.48 percent and in the grain production by 4.15 percent. Introducing new varieties will increase grain outputs and change the spatial distribution of crop production across the country. The combination of promoting water-saving irrigation and new variety adoption will increase the national grain production by 19.6 percent, and thus constitute an effective approach to offsetting the negative effects of climate change on grain production.Originality/valueResults from this study provide practical implications formulate strategies in response to climate change. Central government should reinforce the policies such as new varieties promotion and improve the subsidy method to guide the introduction of new varieties.

Inequities in the allocation of medical resources in China’s Township Health Centers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to produce a high-quality measure of the nature of healthcare resources available in China’s Township Health Centers (THCs), paying particular attention to equity between high- and low-income areas. Design/methodology/approach This study makes use of data from a nearly nationally representative survey in rural China conducted by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. The samples of towns were selected randomly from 25 counties located in five provinces from different regions of China. Data were collected through questionnaires and direct observation. Findings The THCs located in rich areas have higher levels of human resources than poor areas. THCs in rich areas also have more fixed assets than those in poor areas. In fact, even though the Chinese Ministry of Health mandates that all THCs have certain basic levels of medical equipment and facilities, many THCs in poor areas do not have them. The allocation of mandated equipment is unequal. Practical implications These findings suggest that China’s government should pay more attention to THCs located in poor areas, especially in light of new initiatives to improve health care in poor rural areas. Originality/value This is the first nationally representative study to employ rigorous empirics to investigate the extent of inequality in allocation of resources within THCs across China.

From backyard to commercial hog production

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of structural changes in hog production manure management practices. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this study are obtained from a large-scale nationwide hog producers’ survey in rural China conducted by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2010. A descriptive analysis between hog manure management and its main determinants was conducted. Based on the collected data, an econometric model on the determinants of hog manure management was constructed and used for analysis. Findings – The results of this study suggest that the scale of hog production has an important impact on the pattern of hog manure management. Moreover, the results from descriptive statistics and multivariate estimation suggest that smaller hog producers are more likely to apply hog manure to their own lands, while larger hog producers are more likely to sell the manure or find other ways to dispose of it. Originality/value – This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the impact of structural changes in hog production on hog manure management and the environment.

Comparative Disadvantage of Chinese Agriculture and Agricultural Policy Development

Comparative Disadvantage of Chinese Agriculture and Agricultural Policy Development

我国农业生态效率的时空差异分析

Combining a strong economic performance and a sustainable use of natural resources is one of the major objectives of current Chinese agricultural policy. Agricultural eco-efficiency facilitates assessing sustainable development of agriculture in an integrated way,thus providing good guidance for decision making. For panel data from 2003 through 2010,a valuation approach—based on a capital analysis and the concept of opportunity costs—is used to assess agricultural eco-efficiency in China. In addition,benchmarking is an important component of the approach,because it reflects a judgment in determining the cost of all capital forms. These capital forms are land,labor,agricultural water consumption, chemical fertilizer,plastic film,pesticide,diesel,gross power of agricultural machinery,chemical oxygen demand( COD) and total nitrogen. Two benchmarks were chosen,the weighted average return on capital and the best economic performance of each capital form. Depending on the applied benchmark,it was found that the two measures of eco-efficiencies differed, but the variations were similar year to year. Because the main objective of this paper is to understand why evaluation objects differ in their eco-efficiency,our assessment adopted the first benchmark. A regression model was then introduced to analyze the determinants of eco-efficiency. The key results are as follows:( 1) Using the weighted average return on capital form as a benchmark,the average ecological value is negative in 2003,increasing to a maximum in 2010. The value went from negative to positive in 2007. Among the ten capital forms considered,labor capital and COD capital proved to be the critical resources and drivers for value creation in different years. Agricultural eco-efficiency in China is low,but recorded significant progress over the observed period. A low average eco-efficiency of 0. 7 was calculated in 2003,increasing to almost 1. 34 in 2010.( 2) Spatial distribution characteristics are also significant. The agro-ecological areas in the Northeast Zone,Loess Plateau Zone and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain Zone,which are the traditional major grain-producing areas in China, have a low rate of eco-efficiency. Provinces located north of the Qinling Mountains-the Huaihe River line,comprising the Heilongjiang,Shanxi,Ningxia,Gansu and Xinjiang main grain-producing areas,recorded lower values of eco-efficiency in 2010 than in 2003. Conversely,southern provinces such as Sichuan and Hainan had a high eco-efficiency rate. The reasons behind these regional differences are explained in the study.( 3) Taking into account the resource endowment of agricultural production,the characteristics of labor,the input of resources,and the effects of agricultural policy,our empirical model shows that both structural and managerial characteristics have an impact on eco-efficiency. For example, cultivation area per crop and education level of farmers have a significant positive effect on eco-efficiency. A managerial characteristic is chemical fertilizer application per area. More chemical fertilizer application per area leads to a lower ecoefficiency rating in China. The gross power of agricultural machinery,agricultural water consumption,and subsidy levels show similar results as chemical fertilizer application per area. Overall,the study is useful in its identification of weak points in agriculture development in China,information that may support future development of relevant policies and government interventions.

Chinese Agricultural Development Policies and Characteristics since the Reform and Opening up in China

US scholars have ever proposed the doubt of “Who will feed China?” In the past 30 years or so since the reform and opening up in China, China has fed a population accounting for more than 20% of the total population in the world with an area of cultivated land accounting for less than 10% of the total in the world. And the self-sufficiency rate of grain in China still remains above 95%, which is an impressive achievement in Chinese agriculture, and this achievement has been a result of combined action of multiple factors. However, the most critical factor is the successful implementation of agricultural development policies by the Chinese government in the past 30 years or so ever since the reform and opening up in China.

Market liberalization and crop planting decision: a case of China

PurposeThe paper aims to measure the effects of market liberalization on Chinese farmers' crop planting decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe effects are measured using a censored, two‐stage, least‐square regression.FindingsThe results show that the effects of market liberalization on planting decisions are more significant in the case of crops with minimum support price (rice, wheat, and corn) than in the case of crops where planting decision is determined by market prices (cotton and soybean). The effects appear to be different across regions and time zones and more significant in 1993 than in 2005.Originality/valueThe result suggests that market liberalization along the past ten years achieved significant effects in Chinese farmers planting decision. This outcome should be taken into consideration when evaluating and implementing future Chinese agricultural policy income‐based interventions as a means to meet domestic food security goals and increase farmers' income level.

The Relationship between Government on One Side and the Market and Society on the Other in China's Agricultural and Rural Development: An Analytical Framework

统筹城乡发展要求政府承担促进农业农村发展的责任。我国政府以国家干预、政 府主导为特征的农业农村政策，在农业发展、农民增收和城乡协调发展等方面都已取 得较大进展，但现有农业政策在提高农业生产率方面的限度日益显现。有鉴于此，急 需构建一个政府调控和引导农业农村发展的新的分析框架，在其中，政府需要界分与 市场、农村社会组织之间的行为边界，在充分尊重市场配置资源的基础性作用、尊 重农村社会自主管理的基础上，体现政府职能的“兜底”特征；而且，政府在构建市 场/社会运行的基本制度、匡正和补充市场/社会失灵、培育市场/社会主体等职能中需 要进行逻辑先后排序。应用这一新分析框架，加强和改善政府对农业农村发展的调控 和引导，就需要基于农业市场化取向改革农村基本经营制度和农业支持保护体系，注 重对农业生产市场主体的培育；需要以政府为主体构建城乡一体化的基本公共服务体 系，创新农村社会管理体制，充分调动社会力量参与公共事务治理；需要基于城乡一 体化要求重构政府行政管理体制，确保农业农村发展政策的落实。 关键词: 统筹城乡发展 政府 市场 社会 The integrated development of urban and rural areas requires that the government take responsibility for the overall development of the countryside. Chinese agricultural and rural policies characterized by state intervention and government leadership have played an important role in promoting agricultural development and increasing farmers' incomes as well as balancing development in urban and rural areas. However, the effectiveness of current agricultural policies in promoting agricultural productivity is now clearly leveling off. Given this situation, the authors argue that it is imperative to construct a new analytical framework featuring government regulation and guidance of agricultural and rural development. In this framework, the government must clearly define the boundaries between its activities and those of the market and rural social organizations. While fully respecting the fundamental role of the market in allocation of resources and rural self‐management, the government should exercise its power as a backstop. Further, the government needs to establish a logical sequence for government functions such as formulating the basic operating system of the market and society, correcting market failure and social dysfunction and cultivating market/social entities. To use this new analytical framework to strengthen and improve its regulation and guidance of agricultural and rural development, the government needs to reform the basic rural management and agricultural support and protection systems and to pay attention to the cultivation of market entities in agricultural production on the basis of agricultural marketization. Furthermore, it needs to construct a basic urban‐rural integrated public service system with the government as the leading actor, carry out innovations in the management system of rural society and fully mobilize the social forces to take part in the administration of public affairs. It also needs to reconstruct the system of government administration and management to ensure the thorough implementation of agricultural and rural development policies.

American and Chinese Agricultural Policy since 1949: An Overview

The agricultural policies of the United States and the People's Republic of China have differed substantially given the governmental structures of each nation. During the 1930s, the U.S. federal government began a host of regulatory agricultural programs designed to improve the farm economy and lift agriculture from the Great Depression. Although many farmers participated in crop reduction and price support programs, they had little choice. The federal government did not force farmers to participate in its price support, crop reduction, and loan programs, but they felt compelled to do so in order to gain needed economic assistance, that is, money. Since the New Deal program of the 1930s, agricultural policy in the United States has been based on supply side economics, and agricultural organizations have been effective lobbyists in Congress to support their own interests. U.S. agricultural policy, however, has encouraged farmers to leave the land for employment elsewhere as well as provided price supports and other income programs primarily for large-scale farmers and agricultural corporations rather than small-scale family farmers. The intent of this policy has been to ensure for those farmers who remain on the land an income and standard of living comparable to urbanites. U.S. agricultural policy has undergone little substantial change since the early 1930s.In contrast, the agricultural policy of the People's Republic of China has undergone increasing change since World War II, but it has been based on government purchases of agricultural commodities at fixed prices with requirements for some farmers to raise grain. Both of these features are designed to keep food prices low for the industrial and urban populations. Since the late 1970s, Chinese agricultural policy, however, has enabled rapid rural economic growth, provided improved market incentives, and led to the rapid development of food markets. By the twenty-first century market-oriented reform had become the major factor for agricultural growth, but the Chinese government also continued to support an agricultural policy designed to ensure an adequate supply of grain at low cost, thereby privileging the industrial economy at the expense of agriculture. This agricultural policy also kept an increasing number of peasant farmers on the land with incomes and a standard of living considerably below urbanites.Although American and Chinese agricultural policies have sought food security and stability during the twentieth century, and while both nations provide incentives to improve agricultural income, both nations have pursued substantially different policies to achieve those goals. The agricultural policy of each country has its advocates and critics. This paper provides a comparative, historical overview of the agricultural policies of both nations.

A gendered view of reforming health care access for farmers in China

PurposeThe social safety net of health care insurance is rapidly expanding in rural China. New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) programs proliferated between the national decree of 2002 and 2008, moving from a situation where less than 10 per cent of the rural population had access to health insurance to one where over 80 per cent had the opportunity to participate in these programs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how NRCMS affects equity goals in access to health care and explore the gender‐specific determinants for farmers to participate in NRCMS and use health care services.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical analysis, by using the national rural socio‐economic survey data collected by the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2005. Based on Andersen's access to medical care model, the probit model for regression was used. All analyses are conducted with Stata 9.0 software.FindingsGender was found to have significant effects on both NRCMS participation and health care use. Age, education, deductible level and ceiling limits of reimbursement had positive effects on both NRCMS participation and health care use. The narrow coverage with high co‐payment compensation system asserted significant deterrence effects on equity access to health care. This is only a first step toward building an adequate health safety net for all rural residents, there is still a long way to go.Originality/valueUsing the national household survey data, this study is one of few studies focusing on the interplay between gender and the distinct determinants of access to health care under the ongoing NRCMS. The relevant findings have important implications for further policy design.

Review of Chinese Agricultural Policy

This paper provides a preliminary overview of Chinese agricultural policy. Several unique features affecting China’s production, consumption, and trading patterns are reviewed in order to better understand and anticipate how China’s agri-food sector might change in the coming years. The study looks at China’s economic and agricultural characteristics and reviews the evolution of its agricultural policy reforms and recent policy developments. The study closes with remarks on the challenges and prospects for China’s agriculture and implications for Canada.

Chinese Agricultural Policies in Thirty Years and Analysis on the Effects

In this article, the reforms of rural institutions and agricultural products' circulation system in China and the changes in national regulation on agricultural economy in the past thirty years were reviewed. The importance of rural land tenure reform and the pursuits of a rural market economy system to the sustained growth of agriculture for 30 years in China were recognized. Entering into the new millennium, under the New Countryside Initiative, a series of favorable policies, in the areas of rural finance, education, social security, and ecological restoration, were put into force to boost rural economy toward modernization. These policies resulted in the effect of abundant supply of agricultural products, improved rural livelihood, reduced farmer fiscal burden, rising farmer income, and increased capacity for multidimensional development in rural area. This article analyzed the issues of “San Nong” and stipulated that future policy will focus on supporting agriculture production, increasing investment in rural infrastructure, as well as enhancing coordination between urban and rural development goals.