How successful has CCP been at solving Chinas agrarian problems?

After Dengs reforms in 1978, Chinas agrarian problems which are also
known as the Sannong problem surfaced as a result of uneven development
and the marginalization of the peasantry. Not only has the Sannong Problem
affected the peasants, the villages and the agriculture, Chinas agriculture
sector as a whole has also taken a huge beating as a result of it. The CCP
government, especially the administration under Hu has undertaken several
initiatives to remedy the situation. However, compounded by the current
global food crisis, the failure of CCPs agrarian policies at tackling the
problems has been a challenge to food security in China, and if it does not
improve, might even translate to as serious as an impairment to CCPs rule.
Depletion of Chinas arable lands for non-agricultural purposes has been a
part of Chinas agrarian problem. This has resulted in the decline of Chinas
agriculture sector and food production. The nongye problem is given rise to
as a result because the entire well-being of China is affected. Most arable
lands are located near coastal provinces. Environmental problems like
desertification and soil erosion continued to reduce land available for
farming. Toxic leakage into farmlands affected the quality of crops cultivated.
Fertile grounds near places like Tianjin and Shanghai are used for building
commercial and industrial sites instead. Golf courses and condominiums
were built on arable lands in certain interior provinces, adding stress to
Chinas expanding food demands.
To remedy this, the government has vowed to keep at least 120million
hectares of arable lands for agriculture. However, this failed largely because
of illegal land grabs cases by corrupt officials for business purposes. From
2008, China is also purchasing farmlands on parts of Africa to grow its food.
Foreign food purchases are made from countries like Australia and Brazil. By
2011, these purchases have become controversial as Chinese investments
are viewed with wariness by indigenous nationalists. Investments and
researches made on agricultural technological breakthrough are underway.
Solutions are limited as they are constrained by Chinas geographical
limitations.
Another of Chinas agrarian problem is the mass migration of peasants from
countryside to the cities, resulting in social tensions and instability. This is a
complex problem because it involves all three aspects of the Sannong
Problem. There are both push and pull factors for mass migration by farmers
to cities. Prospects, income and living standards in the countryside paled in
comparison with the cities. On average, the income of farmers is a third of
urban residents. About 20million migrated to the coastal provinces each
year, leading to the shrinking pool of peasants, many of whom remained are
the women and older folks. Increased urban population measn rising food
consumption in China, given the diminishing agrarian production. This has

led to increased unemployment in China as most migrant workers are

unskilled. Worse, the 2009 global recession is a further exacerbation to the
situation.
As much as the government wishes to do something about this, little could
be done since demands for cheap labour from the countryside have been
strong in some industrializing provinces. This has led to the relaxation of the
hukou system, which in turn encourages more movements into the cities. On
the other hand, the government is compelled to sustain Chinas growth rate
at a minimum of 8% so that there could be enough jobs for these migrant
workers. Policies to make livelihood in the countryside more viable are
realistic solutions to be the problem. The shift of coastal manufacturing
industries westward has also helped to reduce the influx of migrants to the
east.
Corrupted local officials and their abuse of power also worsen the agrarian
problem in China. More specifically, this is a challenge to the nongmin
problem because it involves the rights and well-being of the individual
peasant. Lands were confiscated form peasants as official made deals with
businessmen to construct commercial sites. Govenrment subsidies to the
villages are sometimes siphoned by corrupted officials. The bulk of extrabudgetary expenditure for local projects and officials benefits is often
exacted from the peasants. Corrupted officials are also responsible for a
number of widespread rural pollution cases. Human rights abuses of farmers
are often hidden from the media as they occur deep in the countryside. Land
disputes lead to sporadic rural unrests. Guangzhou and Yunnan are good
examples of this.
Some progress has been made to solve this problem as the CCP and central
government have expanded the jurisdiction and effectiveness of their
disciplinary committees to take actions against errant bureaucrats. Limited
liberalization of media also raises public awareness hence deter to some
extent instances of abuse of power by government officials.
Environment degradation is also a huge part of Chinas agrarian problem.
This involves all three aspects of Chinas Sannong Problem. Peasants are
hard-hit by the pollution from the cities and industries. Fertility of arable
lands was lowered. This resulted in a scarcity of drinkable water. More than
75% of the water flowing the Chinas river which pass through factories is not
drinkable. Increased volatile weather has also affected harvests. Health of
many in the rural areas is affected. There is the so-called cancer-village
where peasants are afflicted with terminal illnesses en masses as they are
exposed to toxic contamination in the common areas. This lowers living
standards in the countryside. The outbreak of livestock diseases also hit
agricultural output. For example, the Blue-ear disease in 2006 reduced pork
supply.

Governmental remedies to this challenge are the usual laws and penalties,
incentives to environmentally friendly industries, Green GDP etc. However,
like most policies in China, though well-intentioned and given vast public
support, their effectiveness is limited by weak enforcement at the local
levels. The media, NGOs and overseas environmental groups also play vital
roles at monitoring and raising awareness on the severity of the issue.
Higher costs of living and production but largely suppressed income is
another of Chinas serious agrarian problem. This involves all three aspects
of Chinas Sannong Problem. Market prices for food crops rose faster and
higher than government subsidy grants. Chinese rice is one of the worlds
cheapest. Direct subsidies from the government accounted for only 5% of
the peasants income as compared to 60% of the more developed countries.
There is little incentive for peasants to work hard and innovate.
Governments intention is to make food affordable to support the growth of
cities. Many farmers prefer to grow the more profitable vegetables and fruits,
instead of food crops like soy, wheat and rice under suppressed pricings.
There is little surplus capital to invest in technological innovation. Chinese
agricultural productivity remains low and backward.
Number One document, a direct subsidy and elimination of taxes for the
peasants, has increased the amount of subsidies given to peasants sharply.
However it is still not on par with the global food price. Government also
encourages township enterprises to increase revenue for the farming
families. This is generally beneficial for participating localities. Subsidies for
rural residents have been given out to spur their consumption ability and for
the purchase of household appliances especially during the 2009 global
financial crisis.
Next, poor public amenity in the countryside is also an agrarian problem in
China. This is basically the nongmin and nongchun problems. This is a result
of regional disparity, which is a result of Chinas uneven economic
development since Dengs era. Health and education facilities remain
backward and inadequate compared to the cities. For children of peasants,
there are poor social.
The government has increased spending on social causes in the countryside.
For example, students having nine-year compulsory education in the western
provinces are exempted from paying tuition fees. Poverty-stricken families
are also given extra grants. This is generally well-received by the poorer
folks. Li Ke Qiang, Chinas premier from 2013 had pledged to hasten and
broaden the scope of urbanization so that more residents can benefit from
better living quality.

In conclusion, the problems are actually inter-related; corruption,

environment degradation and poor infrastructure, which result in lowering of
rural standards of living, together with the lure of better prospects in the
cities, lead to the shrinking of the agricultural sector. This affects food
supply, given that existing agricultural productivity in China is low and still
developing, against the backdrop of increasing demands for food as the
Chinese become more affluent. The CCP government is aware of the severity
of the issue, with its economic social and even political implementations.
Swift and far-sighted measures have been taken, but improvements have
been slow due to the size of the countryside, complexities of the issue as it is
intertwined also with the rate of urban development and weak local
enforcements. While rural problem persist, the CCP government has been
successful in successful at alleviating the poverty of the peasantry in
general. According to official figures in 2006, there were 21.48 million poor
people with an annual income of less that 693yuan, 6.72million less than
2002. Output of major economic crops also increased. In 2006, for example,
cotton output increased by 37.2% compared with 2002. Given the
leaderships political will and heightened national awareness, problems in the
agrarian sectors are likely to be solved in future.