China’s key agricultural sector starts to evolve, but can the whole country embrace the new rural economy?

Agriculture has long been the bedrock of China’s political and economic stability as it stands at the heart of the national security strategy

But the rural economy has always lagged behind even as China’s overall economic growth has expanded rapidly over the past 40 years of opening up

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Jiang Fan cooperative is promoting an ancient agriculture method that combines raising rice and fish in the same paddy fields. Photo: Elaine Chan

Published: 2:30pm, 8 Feb 2020Updated: 5:42pm, 14 Feb 2020

Three hours’ drive from Shanghai city centre, at the mouth of the Yangtze River, a new generation of rural entrepreneurs are hoping to turn Chongming island into a hub for sustainable farming, providing a glimpse of what the future of agriculture in China could look like.

From saffron, to hairy crabs and tourism, the farms operate using green methods, while making fairly decent amounts of money, telling a different tale from the Chinese rural economy story that is often associated with relative poverty, inefficiency and excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers.

The local and national governments are trying to make the modern farms in Chongming an example for others to follow, but at the same time, the jury is still out over whether China can truly change its rural economy into something like the Riverside Happy Farm, which has 20 hectares (49 acres) of organic rice fields, and raises sheep and chickens. The farm also offers a popular weekend retreat for tourists from China’s biggest metropolitan area.

Next door to Riverside Happy Farm, the Jiang Fan cooperative is promoting an ancient agriculture method that combines raising rice and fish in the same paddy fields, creating a mutually beneficial relationship. A few kilometres from Jiang Fan, Chongming local Tang Di, whose main job is big data consultant, is running a cooperative that grows saffron crocus bulbs to be used as a herbal remedy.

We decided on saffron because it was non-perishable and it has high value-added content. And it’s also a traditional Chinese medicine that meets national [quality] standards

Tang Di

“We decided on saffron because it was non-perishable and it has high value-added content,” said Tang. “And it’s also a traditional Chinese medicine that meets national [quality] standards.”

Blessed with its proximity to a vast consumer base in Shanghai that is willing to spend a bit more on locally grown organic products, Chongming highlights the potential model for a sustainable rural economy, with similar developments springing up in other rural areas surrounding other Chinese cities.

Instead of simply growing traditional crops to feed local mouths, the new type of agriculture caters to the demand from China’s affluent urban consumers for high-quality products and services, from hairy crabs and organic vegetables to sightseeing experiences and comfortable accommodation in a rural setting.