Special Report

Agriculture in southern China

On Friday, the Iowa Soybean Association trade mission headed southeast, traveling from Yichang to Nanchang by high-speed train at speeds up to 120 miles per hour.

Traveling through the countryside, we saw many different kinds of crops being produced. A lot of rapeseed (canola), also rice, wheat and vegetables. Most of the crops are grown in an area of one acre or less. No arable patch of land is wasted.  We saw very few animals, just a few pigs, ducks, sheep and water buffalo, but we also know there are areas where livestock production is a bigger part of the agricultural picture.

There’s no farm equipment to be seen, it appears most crops are planted, maintained and harvested by hand. We’re told agriculture is more modern in northern China, but this southern section is still dominated by small farms.

China still has 500-million people who are classified as farmers.  Reports are that the government aims to move another 100-million of those people from rural to urban areas by 2020.

During our train ride from Chengdu to Chongqing earlier in the week, we visited with Grant Kimberley, market development director for ISA, about Chinese agriculture and the changing demographics of the China’s population.

AUDIO: Grant Kimberley

Photo courtesy Iowa secretary of agriculture Bill Northey