http://www.jlakes.org/config/hpkx/news_category/2016-03-24/1-s2.0-S0160412015000021-main.pdf

Impacts of soil and water pollution on food safety and health risks in China

China's water scarcity

Rice production in China has more than tripled in the past five decades mainly due to increased grain yield rather than increased planting area. This increase has come from the development of high-yielding varieties and improved crop management practices such as nitrogen fertilization and irrigation. However, yield stagnation of rice has been observed in the past ten years in China. As its population rises, China will need to produce about 20% more rice by 2030 in order to meet its domestic needs if rice consumption per capita stays at the current level. This is not an easy task because several trends and problems in the Chinese rice production system constrain the sustainable increase in total rice production. Key trends include a decline in arable land, increasing water scarcity, global climate change, labor shortages, and increasing consumer demand for high-quality rice (which often comes from low-yielding varieties). The major problems confronting rice production in China are narrow genetic background, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, breakdown of irrigation infrastructure, oversimplified crop management, and a weak extension system. Despite these challenges, good research strategies can drive increased rice production in China. These include the development of new rice varieties with high yield potential, improvement of resistances to major diseases and insects, and to major abiotic stresses such as drought and heat, and the establishment of integrated crop management. We believe that a sustainable increase in rice production is achievable in China with the development of new technology through rice research.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1626/pps.12.3

Current Status and Challenges of Rice Production in China

In recent years, agricultural growth in China has accelerated remarkably, but most of this growth has been driven by increased yield per unit area rather than by expansion of the cultivated area Looking towards 2030, to meet the demand for grain and to feed a growing population on the available arable land, it is suggested that annual crop production should be increased to around 580 Mt and that yield should increase by at least 2% annually Crop production will become more difficult with climate change, resource scarcity (eg land, water, energy, and nutrients) and environmental degradation (eg declining soil quality, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and surface water eutrophication) To pursue the fastest and most practical route to improved yield, the near-term strategy is application and extension of existing agricultural technologies This would lead to substantial improvement in crop and soil management practices, which are currently suboptimal Two pivotal components are required if we are to follow new trajectories First, the disciplines of soil management and agronomy need to be given increased emphasis in research and teaching, as part of a grand food security challenge Second, continued genetic improvement in crop varieties will be vital However, our view is that the biggest gains from improved technology will come most immediately from combinations of improved crops and improved agronomical practices The objectives of this paper are to summarize the historical trend of crop production in China and to examine the main constraints to the further increase of crop productivity The paper provides a perspective on the challenge faced by science and technology in agriculture which must be met both in terms of increased crop productivity but also in increased resource use efficiency and the protection of environmental quality

Improving crop productivity and resource use efficiency to ensure food security and environmental quality in China

Assessing farmland protection policy in China

Water saving technology and saving water in China

Irrigation, agricultural performance, and poverty reduction in China

Water shortages in important grain-producing regions of China may significantly affect China's agricultural production potential and international markets. Falling ground-water tables and disruption of surface-water deliveries to important industrial and agricultural regions have provoked concern that a more dramatic crisis is looming unless effective water conservation policies can be put into place rapidly. While China's water use is unsustainable in some areas, there is substantial capacity to adapt and avert a more serious crisis. Recent changes in water management policies may serve to bring about more effective water conservation. This report provides an overview of these changes and some analysis of their effectiveness. Wheat is the most likely crop to show a fall in productiondue to water shortages, but cotton, corn, and rice may also be affected.

China'S Agricultural Water Policy Reforms: Increasing Investment, Resolving Conflicts, And Revising Incentives

In 2004, China entered a new era in its approach to agricultural policy, as it began to subsidize rather than tax agriculture. China introduced direct subsidies to farmers, began to phase out its centuries-old agricultural tax, subsidized seed and machinery purchases, and increased spending on rural infrastructure. The new policies reflect China’s new view of agriculture as a sector needing a helping hand. The subsidies are targeted at grain producers, but they do not provide strong incentives to increase grain production.

/pdf/china-s-new-farm-subsidies-4tl3uxppwf.pdf

Bryan Lohmar

Papers

Water saving technology and saving water in China

Irrigation, agricultural performance, and poverty reduction in China

China'S Agricultural Water Policy Reforms: Increasing Investment, Resolving Conflicts, And Revising Incentives

China's New Farm Subsidies

China's agricultural water policy reforms: increasing investment, resolving conflicts, and revising incentives