China: Great Dragon Rising - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 306

into rural business enterprises such as pig farming,
fisheries, or small factories.
By 1991, the production of major crops had in-
creased dramatically . Most increases came about through
the use of fertilizers on increased grain acreage. However,
overall cropland decreased in area. Generally , the respon-
sibility system has boosted agricultural production and
brought prosperity to many rural areas.
There are several drawbacks to the system. Peasants
tend to underproduce most cereal grains and cotton in
favor of more specialized and higher-value crops such as
fruit and vegetables. They do this in part because govern-
ment price controls are less stringent on these crops,
thereby allowing for greater profits. Moreover, the num-
ber of free markets has increased dramatically , providing
more opportunities for peasants to sell their products.
Also, more affluent consumers have raised their demand
for specialty crops as components of their increasingly
varied diet. Another drawback derives from the fact that
agriculture has become more efficient calling for less la-
bor. By 2001, the surplus of rural labor was estimated at
200 million!
A significant amount of agricultural land has been
lost to urbanization and environmental degradation.
These factors plus the fact that many farmers are not
growing grain have resulted in a substantial decline in
grain production. Current figures place the output at
1990 levels. Recently , the government began to subsidize
grain farming in order to make it as valuable as vegeta-
bles and other high-end crops. Grain production is rising
again, but China still has to import wheat.
In the mid-1980s, the government realized that not
enough food was being grown to feed a growing popula-
tion and increasing demand. Consequently it began to
experiment with other farming systems that reflect re-
gional diversity in agricultural conditions.

Figure 11-9
In the era of market socialism, many people have accumulated
new wealth and put it on display . This is the home of a farmer-
businessman in Guangdong Province. It shows a lot of traditional
symbolism, things that would have been forbidden 30 years ago.
The dragon stands for power and change, the phoenix for virtue
and grace, the clouds for fortune and happiness, and the pearl for
purity . Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.

Beginning in 1978, a series of reforms and experi-
ments have been taking place in China' s agricultural
sector.In a move away from collective farms, the govern-
ment instituted the household responsibility system,
which represented a return to family farming. Under the
reforms, families are able to lease land for up to 30 years,
and the land can be inherited. Farmers must fulfill state
quotas in grain or industrial crops. Surpluses can be used
or sold to the state or free markets for even higher prices.
Such incentives have increased crop yields and rendered
labor more efficient and productive. Many farmers have
become relatively rich and are constructing new and
larger homes (Figure 11-9). Countless farmers have gone

The two-land system : “Food-land” is used for per-
sonal consumption and “contract-land” is used for
commercial production.
Farmland share-holding system : Land is distributed
to peasants who turn their entitlements over to an
administrative village, which founds an agricultural
company . Groups of farmers pool their resources
and bid for contracts. The resultant large-scale farms
have been very successful but thus far are confined
to the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province.

• Collective system : Small, inefficient plots called

“noodle strips” are consolidated into large farms.
Farmers work for wages. These farms, highly