Commentary on china’s current food security status, future trends, and responses in the face of climate variability

Abstract

This chapter reviews available information, summarizes trends and reports on published efforts to minimize the impact of factors contributing to food insecurity. There are four main themes: (1) The policy and practice around the protection of China’s agricultural land and national food security; (2) The marginalization of small-scale farmers (and their knowledge) through the vertical integration and modernization of agricultural production; (3) Diverse responses to heightened food safety anxiety and an increasingly disembedded food system; and (4) Emerging “alternative food systems” and “alternative food networks” in China, such as organic food and agriculture, ecological farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) farms and grassroots organizations promoting environmental and social values for a more sustainable food system. Statistical data, comments by specialists (both foreign and domestic) and the results of our own observations are synthesized in this commentary.