Large-scale agricultural development: think it through before you act

The pursuit of large-scale development is not wrong in itself, but differences in development philosophy can lead it in completely opposite directions.

Regarding large-scale farming, a recent news report revealed the "other side" of the coin. According to the report, several major pig-farming counties are located around the Dongting Lake area. In the past, farming was relatively scattered, with each household raising pigs on a small scale, and the benefits were naturally modest. Today, the number of pig farms with an annual output of around 500 head is increasing day by day, and the scale of pig farming is growing ever higher. But troubles have followed. In the past, when thousands of households raised pigs, the manure could be used as fertilizer and absorbed on their own; now that farming is concentrated, the corresponding treatment measures have not kept pace, making the pollution problem worse by the day. If scaling up has created problems, then how exactly should we pursue large-scale development?

In China's agricultural production, whether crop cultivation or livestock farming, the problem of overly small operating scale has long been widely criticized. Limited by the small scale of their operations, "small farmers" have low labor efficiency but costs that are not low; in the production process, they cannot apply standardized production techniques, and it is difficult to raise the level of mechanization. Achieving effective alignment with the "big market," scientifically adjusting the structure of planting and breeding, and transforming the mode of production are even more out of the question. Therefore, whether envisioning the prospects of modern agriculture or exploring realistic paths for transforming agricultural production methods, large-scale farming is always mentioned first. Indeed, once large-scale operation is achieved, not only will the above problems be effectively alleviated, but improved land-use efficiency, the spread of modern agricultural technology, better quality agricultural products, and higher farmer incomes will also have a realistic foundation.

The benefits of large-scale operation go without saying. However, in the process of developing large-scale operation, if it is not handled well, it may also go astray. First, a large scale is not necessarily economical. For example, in the process of land transfer, some areas blindly seek more and bigger, not only unable to keep up with the input of factors of production, but also with no time to attend to traditional intensive cultivation, so that reducing costs and improving benefits cannot be achieved. The original aim was to achieve economies of scale, but in the end it turned out to be diseconomies of scale. Second, when the scale is large and economic benefits are good, negative external effects may arise and bring corresponding social problems. Take the Dongting Lake case: the farming scale went up, and the risk-resistance capacity of large-scale operators increased, so economic benefits would naturally improve compared with scattered farming. But at the same time, pollution emissions at scale become more concentrated. If effective prevention and response measures cannot be taken, environmental pressure will naturally increase greatly. Another example: a large population with little land is the basic agricultural condition of our large agricultural country. If large-scale farming is overdeveloped, the income of those who remain on the land will increase, but it may also cause a large surplus of agricultural labor to spill over, bringing greater employment pressure.

The pursuit of large-scale development is not wrong in itself, but differences in development philosophy can lead it in completely opposite directions. The key is to grasp the principle of moderation, avoid unhealthy mindsets, and set out only after thinking things through. On the one hand, do not be greedy for bigness. Conditions differ from place to place, so measures must be adapted to local conditions; do not always complain that the degree of scaling is not high enough and blindly "build up big households." On the other hand, do not seek speed. Scaling up is not as simple as merely expanding the scale; it involves work in every aspect, and it is even more necessary to adapt to the times. Full consideration should be given to carrying capacity in areas such as the environment and employment. When various conditions are not yet in place, relevant mechanisms are not yet supporting it, and corresponding problems still lack contingency plans, do not try to pull up seedlings to help them grow and rush for quick results; otherwise, "growing pains" will be unavoidable.