Problem overview:

     Awareness and visions: There have been major advancements in modern agricultural techniques, but the major block towards progress has been the conservative nature of farmers and increasing pressures on good agricultural land. Here China presents its measures to develop sustainable agriculture.

Background:

      Agricultural reform, getting the farmers to try it

     Increase population has caused shortage of farmland: The per capita usable land resources of China are very low and will continuously decrease in quantity and quality. Due to the increasing population, industrialisation, and urbanisation, the demand for land resources has been gradually growing. A shortage in land resources has become the major limitation to the sustainable economic and social development of China. See China's farmland loss rings alarm - satellite photographs reveal a serious problem

     Measures for protection of farmland: In order to achieve sustainable development of agriculture, the measures carried out for protection of farmland include:

• Awareness for protection of farmland: Carrying out national awareness education and improving people's understanding about the importance of protecting farmland
  
  
• Hold local leaders responsible of protecting farmlands: Strengthening administrative management and establishing the responsibility of local government leaders in those selected areas for farmland protection during their tenure (according to the "Regulations on the Protection of Basic Farmland" as established by the State Council)
  
  
• Land use control: Strengthening the construction plan of urban and rural land use in order to control the scale of land use for residences
  
  
• Legalize protection of farmland: Delimiting basic farmland protection areas and strengthening the legal protection of farmland
  
  
• Use economic tools: Using economic devices to keep the dynamic balance of the total amount of farmland
  
  
• Increasing investment in farmland
  
  
• Building key irrigation works
  
  
• Strengthening the farmland's capability to resist natural disaster
  
  
• Improving the quality of the farmland and per unit area output
  
  
• Strengthening technical management of farmland
  
  
• Carrying out the dynamic monitoring of farmland
  
  
• Management of farm land: Developing comprehensive management of rural farmland, water, roads, forests, and villages (the estimated farmland to be increased by this measure is 6.67-13.34 million hectares)
  
  
• Developing reserved farmland resources.