Maintaining traditional rural lifestyles or traveling around the world may not be easy amid the complicated and grave COVID-19 epidemic, but people are paying more attention to grain and vegetables every day.
Extreme weather conditions, regional conflict, and rising prices of grain and agricultural inputs also pose challenges to the global food security. The resilience of the agriculture sector matters for the basic human rights of farmers, a steady economy and even national security.
In China, a country with 1.4 billion people, how much grain is available for each person? Last year, the answer was 483 kilograms, 31 kg more than a decade ago and much higher than the safety line recognized globally.
Over the past 10 years, China's grain output has grown from 612.22 million metric tons to 682.85 million tons, with the past two years seeing a bumper grain harvest during the fight against the epidemic.
Over the past decade, fruit production has risen by 39.4 percent. The production of vegetables, eggs, tea and aquatic produce has also increased year-by-year.
In the past 10 years, the area devoted to grain cultivation has expanded by more than 3 million hectares. Moreover, the expansion in the cultivation of soybeans and other oilseed crops will be the key task for agriculture.
By the end of this year, 67 million hectares of high quality farmland with high yields and good facilities will be built.
The rise in production also benefits from agricultural technology. Currently, the mechanization rate in the agricultural sector is 72 percent, while sci-tech development related to the sector accounts for 61 percent of the total.
Meanwhile, the diverse and delicious types of food on our dinner tables can be attributed to continuous breakthroughs in seed technology and genetic resources.
In 2018, the national Farmers' Harvest Festival was officially established on the autumn equinox. The festival is meant for both farmers in the fields and the emerging new type of farmers.
They love agriculture, have a good knowledge of technology and are good at business when integrating agriculture and information technology in rural areas.
Through e-commerce and livestreams, the young group promotes special agricultural products, introduce special local industries and beautiful scenery to a wider market and contribute to the rural vitalization program.
? 2012
The central government urges local authorities to develop modern agriculture in urban areas.
? 2013
The country starts implementing the plan to produce high-grade farmland.
? 2014
The central government provides subsidies worth 13.15 billion yuan ($2 billion) to develop modern agriculture.
? 2015
Leisure agriculture attracts 1.1 billion tourists and benefits 33 million farmers.
The country promotes the prevention and control of pollution in the agricultural sector.
? 2016
"Internet Plus" agriculture promotes the integrated development of farming and related industries, bringing farmers more business opportunities that can help raise their incomes.
A national plan for scientific innovation stipulates the breeding of new varieties of genetically modified organisms.
? 2017
China develops a plan to nurture a large number of "new farmers" who love agriculture, have deep knowledge of farming techniques and are good managers.
The No 1 Central Document lists "promoting rural e-commerce" separately for the first time, stressing the need to build e-commerce industrial parks.
? 2018
The autumn equinox is set as the Farmers' Harvest Festival in China, the first festival of its kind in the country.
The Government Work Report says the country should implement the rural vitalization strategy.
? 2019
Pig breeding capacity falls and pork prices rise dramatically as a result of the impact of African swine fever.
The sale of agricultural products via livestreams becomes a new trend.
? 2020
China sees a bumper harvest, despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. Grain output hits a record 669.49 million metric tons.
Policies focus on incubating rural entrepreneurship.
? 2021
A 10-year fishing moratorium is launched in the Yangtze River Basin.
Agronomist Yuan Longping, dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", dies on May 22.
Original Title： New Approach Sows Success
