Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
9-2024
Abstract
Using data from official statistical sources and a nationally representative survey, we find that since 2001, China’s agricultural labor force has declined by over 50 percent—a loss of over 200 million smallholders, probably the largest in human history. This trend is the most pronounced in livestock sectors: from 2012 to 2021, 62.5 million smallholder units have disappeared. The 150 million remaining smallholders are mostly commodity producers, participating widely in commodity relations to access agrochemicals, machinery, rental land, and wage labor to produce for markets. The ageing smallholder population also face challenges in intergenerational reproduction, which will accelerate its decline.
Keywords
Smallholders, peasants, petty commodity producers, capitalist agriculture, vertical integration, class differentiation
Discipline
Agricultural and Resource Economics | Asian Studies
Research Areas
Sociology
Areas of Excellence
Growth in Asia
Publication
Journal of Peasant Studies
First Page
1
Last Page
28
ISSN
0306-6150
Identifier
10.1080/03066150.2024.2392688
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Citation
ZHANG, Qian Forrest, & WU, Meiling.(2024). The decline and transformation of smallholders in Chinese agriculture: National trends. Journal of Peasant Studies, , 1-28.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4056
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2024.2392688