By Chen Chunliang & Ye Xingqing, Research Department of Rural Economy of DRC

Research Report No 109, 2015 (Total 4794)

Abstract:

For China, a country with a large population, insufficient arable lands and scarce fresh water resources, the development of facility agriculture is of great strategic importance for the accelerated transformation of agricultural development mode from resource-driven approach to resource-intensive approach with high efficiency. It could facilitate the improvement of the intensive utilization of agricultural resources, upgrade the ability to offer a balanced supply of fresh agricultural products all year round and promote farmer’s income level and an integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas. China is now a country with facility agriculture but it still falls behind countries with sophisticated level of facility agriculture, like Japan, Israel and the Netherlands, in terms of equipment, service support, management mode and technological innovation. For future development, China should step up efforts to consolidate the strategic position of facility agriculture, strengthen resource support and promote the leading role of flagship enterprises, thus catalyzing agricultural restructuring, improving the quality and effectiveness of agriculture and transforming China from a country with major facility agriculture into one with strong facility agriculture.