CROP-LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN CHINA: THE HISTORY OF STATE POLICY GOALS, REFORM OPPORTUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS

doi:10.15302/J-FASE-2023525

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Danmeng FENG¹, KouRay MAO², Yujie YANG¹, Yu HU¹(

)

¹. Research Center for Rural Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100810, China
². Department of Sociology, Colorado State University-Fort Collins, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

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Abstract

● This paper examines the historical evolution of crop-livestock integration in China with a specific focus on its role in mitigating non-point source pollution.

● Extensive examination of existing literature has unearthed the roots of crop-livestock integration dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 to 771 BCE), ultimately culminating in a multifaceted and intricately interwoven system of rural development policies seen in contemporary China.

● This paper illuminates the diverse contributions of crop-livestock integration in different epochs of rural development within China, which contributes to a nuanced and more theoretically grounded comprehension of circular agriculture.

This paper examines the historical evolution of crop-livestock integration in China with a specific focus on its role in mitigating non-point source pollution. Extensive examination of existing literature has unearthed the roots of crop-livestock integration dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 to 771 BCE), ultimately culminating in a multifaceted and intricately interwoven system of rural development policies seen in contemporary China. This paper identifies and characterizes four distinct stages in the historical trajectory of crop-livestock integration: the era of self-sufficient subsistence production in traditional times (1046 BCE to 1948); the period where crop-livestock integration emerged as a pivotal strategy for augmenting grain and meat production under collectivist policies (1949‒1977); the phase marked by the industrialization and expansion of the livestock sector during the early years of economic reforms (1978‒2011); and the present era in which crop-livestock integration is harnessed as a mechanism for pollution control and ecological preservation in contemporary China (2012 to present). This paper illuminates the diverse contributions of crop-livestock integration in different epochs of rural development within China, which contributes to a nuanced and more theoretically grounded comprehension of circular agriculture. This understanding has the potential to be leveraged to promote sustainable rural development in broader contexts.

Keywords crop-livestock integration non-point source pollution control nutrient cycling policy intervention sustainable development

Corresponding Author(s): Yu HU

Online First Date: 29 November 2023

Cite this article:

Danmeng FENG,KouRay MAO,Yujie YANG, et al. CROP-LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN CHINA: THE HISTORY OF STATE POLICY GOALS, REFORM OPPORTUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONAL CONSTRAINTS[J]. Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. , 29 November 2023. [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.15302/J-FASE-2023525.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.15302/J-FASE-2023525
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/Y/V/I/0

Fig.1 Model of traditional crop-livestock integration.

Fig.2 Draft animals per household from 1985 to 2012 (Data source: China Agricultural Statistics Yearbook 1986 to 2013).

Fig.3 Changes in the scale of pig production from 2012 to 2020. (a) The number (million) of rural households with the annual output of fewer than 500 pigs; (b) the number of breeding operations with the annual output of more than 50,000 pigs. Data source: China Agricultural Statistics Yearbook 2013 to 2021.

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