Agrochemicals are overused in China. One strategy to reduce agrochemical use is to increase farm size because of the potential effect of economy of scale.
Despite small landholdings, a high degree of land fragmentation, and rising labor costs, agricultural production in China has steadily increased. If one treats the farm household as the unit of analysis, it is difficult to explain the conundrum.
Rural Chinese smallholders with an option to make delayed premium payments have higher levels of insurance uptake and investment in production than those without the option.
The cow stock of smallholder farmers with less than 100 cows still accounted for nearly 50% of total cows in China. Since the milk scandal occurred in 2008, raw milk safety has become focus for the sound development of the Chinese dairy industry.
Rising energy expenditures due to more intensive use of energy in modern agriculture and increasing energy prices may affect rural households’ agricultural incomes, particularly the incomes of the rural poor in developing countries.
Most of the poor in the developing countries are smallholder farmers. Improving their productivity is essential for reducing poverty.
目前,全球农业正处于发展的十字路口,人口数量持续增长,人口结构也趋向老龄化,城市化现象逐步加深,不断增加的城市人口对食物的数量和质量有更高的要求。然而,据调查,部分发展中国家的农户规模呈下降趋势。中国的农业特点是:有超过2.5亿的小农户,妇女和老人被留在农村从事农耕,典型的农户有0.6公顷土地,每户6至7块地。因此,使用化肥将至关重要,绝大多数作物产量的增长得益于单产的提高,对化肥的需求源源不断