Beijing pushes for bigger family farms to boost efficiency
Farmland split into individual plots during the reform years is being joined back together with Beijing's blessing, and the results are promising
On most days, Li Junxiang can be found walking amid the fruit trees and vegetables he grows on two hectares of farmland in Xinglong county in the northeast of Hebei province.
Li left behind his work of doing odd jobs to rent land from his fellow villagers after learning of a directive the Communist Party issued on February 1 - one that may help ease the mainland's problems with food quality.
Gradually transferring land into the hands of efficient farmers and developing moderately sized operations is the direction of the future
Three decades ago, as part of national reform efforts, authorities split collectively owned farmland into small plots for individual families, in the hopes "ownership" would encourage them to grow food.
But as the mainland grapples with food safety problems, shrinking arable land and an increasing demand for food, central authorities are reversing that earlier move, suggesting that villagers merge plots into "family farms" to allow for higher-yielding agricultural practices.
"Gradually transferring land into the hands of efficient farmers and developing moderately sized operations is the direction of the future," Agriculture Minister Han Changfu told a meeting of national agricultural officials late last month, according to Xinhua.
There is no official definition of family farm, and the ministry is encouraging local governments to arrive at their own standards regarding size and output. Authorities in Hubei , Jiangsu and Shandong have issued regulations, according to mainland media reports, and dozens of lower-level governments have followed with detailed rules.
In Xinglong, Li said registration was easy.