http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agroecology-symposium-china/en/ Presentation of Mei Xurong, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, on new policies and vision on agroecology in China. The presentation was prepared and delivered in occasion of the International Symposium on Agroecology in China, held in Kunming, China on 29-31 August 2016.

1. New Policies and Vision
Related to Agroecology in China
Mei Xurong
Director & Principal Scientist
Department of Research Management, CAAS
meixurong@caas.cn
ISASAF, Kunming, 2016

2. PollutionGDP
A C B TIME
Pollution
Environmental
Capacity
GDP
A：Start of heave industry
B：Completion of industrialization
C：Industrial structure upgrading
Start of Eco-civilization
A
C
B
8000~10000
3000~5000
Environmental Kuznets Curve
China in the Age of Transition
The transition of agricultural modernization
• Food quality & safety upgrading
• Green and low carbon development
• Efficiency and competitive capacity
• ……

3. 0
2000
4000
6000
8000
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1996
1999
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
10000tons
CF Production & Application
Chemical Fertilizer Usage- Pure
Nutrition
6%
9%
34%
20%
21%
30%
38%
Renewable water…
Arable land
Chemical fertilizer
Population
Cereal + legume + tube
Animal protein
Vegetable & fruits
% of the world Sources: FAO & NBSC, 2010
Peaked to 621 MMT in 2015
2.87
1.28 1.07 0.88
0.45
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
China USA Brazil India Russia
Land Explore Intensity ( as of World )
51
20
15
10
0
20
40
60
China World
Average
USA Rusia
Arable Land Irrigation Ratio (%)
The challenges of agricultural transition
Q1: How agriculture move forwards ecologicalization while maintain productivity?
Q2: What is the potential and the political highlights?
Q/A:
Any
success
example
can help
China?
China in the Age of Transition

4.  Supply-side reform: transition and upgrading
→ Maintain a certain amount of major food
productivity for security (cereals, meat,
vegetable, …)
→ Provide safe and nutritional food for safety
→ Reduce consumption of land, water, chemicals ,
and pollution for sustainability
→ Reduce production cost for market competitive
ability
→ Improve resilience and risk control for climate
change adaptation and GHGs reduction
→ Enhance emerging industry and new agri-business
→ Deepening land tenure reform and build new
agro-corporation
Agricultural Potential

5. New Political Vision
• Major ideas and decisions of central government
– 2012: proposed the idea of ecological civilization , “five in one” layout, and
launched the innovation driven strategy
– 2013: issued the “Action plan for air pollution control”, and the regulation for
livestock pollution control
– 2014: issued the “General planning for prominent problem control and
governance of agricultural environment(2014-2018)”, proposed “one control,
two reduction and three almost” actions
– 2015: Issued the “General plan for system reform of ecological civilization”,
the “Agricultural planning for sustainable development (2015-2030)”, and the
“Action plan for water pollution control”
– 2016: proposed five concepts for development in 13th five year plan, i.e.
innovation, coordination, green development, opening up and sharing, issued
“Action plan for soil pollution plan”
– 2016: Ecological compensation mechanism
– Ecological redlines are designing
– ……

6. Governance for Agroecology
• Special ecological solutions for agriculture
– 2014:“One control, two reduction and three almost” : control agricultural
water use (following 3 redlines of water resources, water use efficiency, and
pollution load) , reduce chemical fertilizer and pesticide use, almost recycle
use of crop, livestock and plastic residues
– 2014: “General planning for prominent problem control and governance of
agricultural environment(2014-2018)” focus on agricultural residue control
and recycle use, and soil heave metal pollution control
– 2015:“Agricultural planning for sustainable development (2015-2030)” adopt
regional development strategies as prior, moderate and protected
development , as well as diversified function and localized technologies.
– 2016: Land conservation by 3 redlines of farmland, permanent farmland, and
farmland for major crop production
– 2016: Build clean agricultural valley for NPS control and residue recycle by
using landscape ecology
– ……

7.  Innovation driven for ecological transition
→ Breeding for high potential productivity while good quality
→ Technology integration for efficient use of resources and
pollution/GHGs reduction, theories and technologies of clean
agricultural valley
→ Green inputs, smart fertilizer, bio- & nano- pesticide, degradable
plastic, etc.
→ Enhancing biodiversity by red-green alert of cropping system
→ Intelligent machinery for multi-cropping system
→ Polices innovation and creation, incl. ecological service evaluation,
technical and ecological subsidies, etc.
→ ……
Innovation for Agroecology

8.  Suggestion and recommendation
→ Ecologicalization of governance system design, perfection of public
policies and legal framework for agroecology, under the concept of
ecological civilization
→ Reconsidering the treasures of Chinese traditional agriculture, and
adopt to modern practices
→ Localization of agrocological principles and practices by agroecological
model innovation
→ Farm digitization to build linkage among smallholder farmer, consumer
and market, strengthen the practice of “From Farm to Fork”
→ Strengthen R&I to drive agroecological application in agricultural
transition
→ ……
From Vision to Reality