While the major cities of China have been attracting the world’s headlines, it is likely that its vast and often neglected countryside will play a key role in the next phase of its economic development. Although China is the world’s third largest country in terms of terrain, the actual amount of land suitable for agriculture is small, estimated at a mere seven per cent of the total.
On average, each farmer has only 1,900 square metres of land, about half an acre. The vast majority of farmers suffer from low income, low social status and endure a hard life.
