How should the food security strategy respond to the impact of new trends in agricultural development?
Du Zhixiong, deputy director of the Institute of Rural Development under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, proposed at the Second Longping Forum recently that against the new backdrop of agricultural development, China's agriculture is undergoing new development trends, and careful thought must be given to how to respond to the impact of these trends on the food security strategy.
In his view, the main changes currently taking place in agriculture are: First, greater emphasis is being placed on the development of animal husbandry now and in the future. Second, the crop farming sector is undergoing a trend toward a centralized industrial layout. Third, small-scale agriculture is transforming into large-scale agriculture. Fourth, greater emphasis is being placed on the quality and safety of agricultural products. Fifth, greater reliance is being placed on the role of science and technology across the entire agricultural industry chain. Sixth, greater dependence is being placed on international markets and resources. Seventh, agricultural development is transforming from the single production function of the past toward multiple functions such as ecological and cultural inheritance and environmental protection.
He proposed adapting to the new trends in agricultural development to build a new food security strategy. First, China's agricultural structure must be adjusted. For example, as agriculture shifts from being led by crop farming to being led by animal husbandry, corresponding structural adjustments must consider how to adapt to this change. Second, as agriculture now begins to shift from price support to income support, the agricultural support and protection system must also consider how to adapt to this change. Also, when food security is discussed, it is mainly about production, but food waste in China is very serious, and consideration must be given to how to build a new consumption model for agricultural products to minimize production as much as possible, reduce pressure on the ecology and environment, and maintain sustainable agricultural growth. There is also the issue of prices. China is advancing the shift from the minimum purchase price system to the target price system, and a protection policy for low-income people must be built. Only on this premise can moderate increases in the prices of agricultural products, especially grain, be allowed.