China bans ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to farmland reclamation amid food security drive
- Ministry of Natural Resources directive forbids converting steep slopes and polluted, eroded and ecologically fragile land for agricultural use
- Local governments face growing pressure to ensure acreage for farming as Beijing implements tough measures to guarantee food supply
China’s top land use regulator has warned local authorities against blunt efforts to reassign land for crops amid a national push for food security.
In a directive last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources said local governments were “strictly banned” from applying “one-size-fit-all” measures to land use, including bulldozing orchards, nurseries and ponds.
The order follows a slew of complaints about reclamation cases, including the city of Chengdu’s plan to reclaim about 6,700 hectares (16,556 acres) along a planned green belt surrounding the city to use for farming.
Food security has become a national priority in recent years as ties with the West have frayed and the war escalated in Ukraine.
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Farmers in China rush to harvest wheat after heavy rains damage crops