Modernising Agrifood Chains in China

China faces major challenges in generating viable and inclusive agricultural and rural development. However, rapid economic growth provides new opportunities to meet the challenges. In particular, the development of higher value agrifood chains provides opportunities for rural households to increase their levels of specialisation, scale and incomes, and for rural areas to broaden their employment and tax bases.

While an agricultural and rural development strategy based on upgrading agrifood chains is widely described and prescribed, it has not proceeded without problems and has been the subject of little rigorous scrutiny. This book presents an industry case study that draws on a novel methodological framework and reliable micro-level data to provide a nuanced, grounded and diachronic analysis of China’s efforts to upgrade agrifood chains. While China seeks to fast-track the development of high value agrifood chains through interventionist policies, a more viable and inclusive modernisation strategy is to incrementally develop mid-value agrifood chains through facilitative policies.

This and other findings of the book will be of interest to policy makers, researchers and development agencies working on agricultural and rural development in China and other developing and transition countries.