Can industrial agriculture be resilient to external shocks? Industrial agriculture in diversified clusters in rural China

Qian Forrest Zhang and Zhanping Hu

Chapter 4 in Commodity Chains under Pressure, 2025, pp 78-98 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: We propose a new model – “industrial agriculture of smallholders” – to conceptualize the agri-food system in China. These smallholders are embedded in “diversified clusters” in rural China, which also include rural industries and extensive rural-urban linkages. Their relationships with markets are more complex and dynamic than what is often portrayed under the linear framework of “commodity chains”. As an alternative to the globalized model of industrial agriculture, we argue that “industrial agriculture of smallholders” has greater resilience to external shocks. Using a village in northern China during the COVID-19 pandemic, we illustrate how economic diversity within this “diversified cluster” buffered the community from the devastating impact of external disruptions and allowed residents to devise effective coping strategies. Two other conditions further contributed to the community's resilience: first, the dense network of market relations that provided flexibility and adaptability, and second, the extensive use of technology that helped producers raise productivity.

Keywords: Smallholders; Economic clusters; Resilience; Agricultural markets; COVID-19; Rural China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035355297
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