China and Global Food Security

This Element offers a nuanced analysis of China's food strategy and its impacts on global food security.

Shaohua Zhan (Author)

9781108823814, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 November 2022

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.6 cm, 0.15 kg

In less than half a century (1978–2020), China has transformed itself from a country that barely fed itself to a powerful player in the global food system, characterized by massive food imports, active overseas agricultural engagement, and the global expansion of Chinese agribusiness. This Element offers a nuanced analysis of China's global food strategy and its impacts on food security and the international agri-food order. To feed a population of 1.4 billion, China actively seeks overseas agri-food resources whilst maintaining a high level of domestic food production. This strategy gives China an advantageous position in the global food system, but it also creates contradictions and problems within and beyond the country. This could potentially worsen global food insecurity in the long term.

1. Introduction
2. China's Global Food Strategy
3. Will China Starve the World? China in Agri-food Trade
4. Is China a Land Grabber? Overseas Agricultural Investment
5. In the Name of Food Security: State-led Capitalism and Agribusiness Expansion
6. Resistance, Grassroots Movements, and Alternative Visions
7. Conclusion: Agri-food Reordering in the 21st Century.

Subject Areas: Food manufacturing & related industries [KNDF], Food & society [JFCV]