The changing role of local government in organic agriculture development in Wanzai County, China

ABSTRACT

Wanzai County in southern China has undergone a remarkable evolution since 2000. The commitment of the local government has made Wanzai into one of China’s most important organic agricultural production zones. Institutions and government support are vital for the development of organic agriculture. This article shows how the Wanzai County government changed from driver to guide in the process. Governments at the county, township and village levels formalised and institutionalised financial and technical support, mediating between farmers and enterprises and attracting investments to broaden organic market channels. Their experiences could be a reference for other remote areas with similar environmental and economic conditions.

RÉSUMÉ

Le comté de Wanzai dans le sud de la Chine a connu une évolution remarquable depuis 2000. L'engagement du gouvernement local a fait de Wanzai l'une des zones de production agricole biologique les plus importantes de Chine. Les institutions et le soutien du gouvernement sont vitaux pour le développement de l'agriculture biologique. Cet article montre comment le gouvernement du comté de Wanzai est passé d’un rôle de ‘pilote’ à celui de ‘guide’ dans ce processus. Les gouvernements aux niveaux des comtés, des bourgs et des villages ont formalisé et institutionnalisé le soutien financier et technique, assurant la médiation entre les agriculteurs et les entreprises, et attirant des investissements pour élargir les circuits commerciaux des produits agricoles biologiques. Ces expériences pourraient servir de référence pour d'autres régions éloignées présentant des conditions environnementales et économiques similaires.

KEYWORDS:

• Organic farming
• local government
• institutionalisation
• business development support
• China

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank Kate Morgan for improving the language of this article. Many thanks to anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier draft.

Notes on contributors

Yuhui Qiao is an associate professor and supervisor for PhD students in the College of Resources and Environmental Science of China Agricultural University (CAU). She holds a PhD in agroecology from CAU. Her research focuses on organic farming and agroecology and impact assessment of various farming practices.

Friederike Martin graduated from Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, with a MSc degree in Integrated Natural Resource Management. She now works on sustainable agricultural supply chains and standards in the Division for Rural Development and Agriculture, German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Xueqing He graduated from the college of resources and environmental science of China Agricultural University (CAU) with a MSc degree on organic farming and agroecology. She is now in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen as a PhD candidate on biodiversity and pest control.

Huayang Zhen is a PhD candidate studying organic farming and agroecology at the college of resources and environmental science of China Agricultural University (CAU).

Xihe Pan is the Vice Director of the Organic Food Development Office, Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province, China.

Notes

1 Here 1USD = 6.75CNY.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government on the project of sustainable agriculture development and cooperation implemented by IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) and CAU (China Agricultural University), and also by the National Key Technology R&D Program in the 12th Five-Year Plan of China [Grant number 2014BAK19B05].