Popularity of Ecological and Organic Food Continues to Grow
With the increasing awareness of ecological and environmental protection and the increasing enthusiasm of consumers for green and pollution-free agricultural products, sustainable agricultural development models and organic food production continue to gain popularity
From 2005 to 2018, China’s total area of certified organic agriculture has grown more than fivefold, reaching 3.1 million hectares. In 2017, China's certified organic cultivation area ranked third in the world, second only to Australia and Argentina. Sales volume of organic agricultural products in China ranks fourth after the United States, Germany, and France.
Unlike countries with private land ownership, China's organic food and ecological food industries developed under a completely different social, economic, cultural, and environmental background. Standards and norms were and are formulated by the government and implemented from top to bottom, creating a very formal organic industry. At the same time, the bottom-up exploration and quest of safe, healthy, and sustainable food have also led to the informal form of the organic industry.
Through these top-down and bottom-up efforts, China has gradually grown into a global leader in the development of sustainable food systems. The food safety issue is the driving force that drives agriculture to shift to sustainable production methods.
Considering the importance of food safety and the ecological crisis facing China, various levels of government in China are currently proposing various measures to support the operation of organic farms. This type of support policy is ahead of the world, including the cost of organic certification, site selection, funding of farm infrastructure and organic fertilizers, and assistance in training and marketing.
In addition to state support, the efforts of the people from the bottom up are also playing a role. Active advocates have adopted a community-supported farming method that has revolutionized the ecological food and diet in Chinese cities. Citizens are enthusiastic about this new community-based approach. And especially recent months during the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, consumers seem increasingly willing to choose safe and healthy green food, leading to an increase in online sales of ecological and organic food by both middle- and high-end consumers.
This article is an adaption from an article published on April 26th on the official Wechat platform ‘International Fruit’, with the title: 中国的有机农业：蓬勃发展 日趋完善 (Chinese only).