A look at food security in China

Who will feed China? This important question was raised by Dr. Lester R. Brown in his famous book by the same title. 1 It is still a valid question today as food security continues to be one of the highest priorities for this most populated country in the world. Food production (namely, grain), inputs (fertilizer, water) and outputs (state of environment) are vital elements to a sustainable food system that must be considered along with consumers (people, animals) and where consumers are located (urban, rural). In the past century, China experienced numerous food shortages, then corrected them by implementing a quota system (1955–1993) and land contract reform (1981) that incentivized farmers. Total grain output increased 74% from 354 million tons in 1982 to 618 million tons in 2017, surpassing the growth of its population by about 34%. 2 , 3