Welcome to Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Today is
Research Articles

Farmer crop choice in remote regions of northern China

  • CUI Yong-Wei ,
  • HU Rui-Fa ,
  • KELLY Peter ,
  • LIANG Luo-Hui
Expand
  • 1. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    2. Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    3. Graduate University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    4. Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720, USA;
    5. Environment and Sustainable Development Programme, United Nations University, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan

Received date: 2008-12-15

  Revised date: 2009-02-19

  Online published: 2009-05-15

Supported by

supported by the United Nations University (HQ-2003-ICA-O-00072), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (70325003), and Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-YW-N-039) corresponding author

Abstract

Preserving genetic diversity on farms is crucial to global agriculture, and effective programs to promote such conservation depend on farmers' choice among different crops. Farmers in remote regions of northern China continue to grow diverse minor grain crops of local varieties with rich genetic resources. We conducted a household survey to better understand farmers' choice. Based on the proposed crop choice model, we find that the low socioeconomic status and the incompleteness of the markets are the two main reasons. The present study suggests that the government should invest more on genetic diversity preserving.

Cite this article

CUI Yong-Wei , HU Rui-Fa , KELLY Peter , LIANG Luo-Hui . Farmer crop choice in remote regions of northern China[J]. Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2009 , 26(3) : 338 -349 . DOI: 10.7523/j.issn.2095-6134.2009.3.008

References


[1] Cooper J. The share of benefits from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. In: Cooper J, Leslie ML, Zilberman D (Eds). Agricultural Biodiversity and Biotechnology in Economic Development. Springer, 2005. 177~195

[2] Brush SB. Farmers bounty: locating crop diversity in the contemporary world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004

[3] Smale M(ed). Farmer's, gene banks and crop breeding: economic analyses of diversity in wheat, maize, and rice. Norwell, Massachusetts:Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998

[4] Huang JK, Rozelle S, Carl P. Enhancing the crops to feed the poor. Nature, 2002, 418(8): 678~684

[5] Virchow D. In situ conservation: methods and costs. In: Joseph C, Leslie ML, David Z (Eds). Agricultural Biodiversity and Biotechnology in Economic Development. Springer, 2005. 103~125

[6] Maxted N, Ford-Lloyd BV, Hawkes JG. Plant genetic conservation: the in situ approach. London: Chapman and Hall, 1997

[7] Ford-Lloyd BV, Jackson MT. Plant genetic resources: an introduction to their conservation and use. London: Edward Arnold, 1986

[8] Harlan JR. Crops and Man. 2nd ed. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, 1992

[9] Bellon MR, Brush SB. Keepers of maize in Chiapas, Mexico. Economic Botany, 1994, 48: 196~209

[10] Brush SB, Bellon M, Schmidt E. Agricultural development and maize diversity in Mexico. Human Ecology, 1988, 16:307~328

[11] Ceccarelli S, Grando S. Barley landraces from the fertile crescent: a lesson for plant breeders. In: Brush SB (Eds). Genes in the Field: On-Farm Conservation of Crop Diversity. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis, 1999. 51~76

[12] Hu RF, Liang LH. Enhancing agrobiodiversity in China: strengthening the role of minor crops in poverty alleviation. Final Report to the FAO. 2004

[13] Lin RF, Chai Y, Liao Q, et al. Minor grain crops in China. Beijing:Chinese Agricultural Science and Technology Press, 2002(in Chinese) 林汝法, 柴 岩, 廖 琴,等. 中国小杂粮. 北京: 中国农业科学技术出版社, 2002

[14] Niu XW. Study on minor crops of China. Beijing: Chinese Agricultural Press, 2004(in Chinese) 牛西午. 中国杂粮研究. 北京: 中国农业出版社, 2004

[15] Fraser E. Crop diversification and trade liberalization: linking global trade and local management through a regional case study. Agriculture and Human Values, 2006, 23(3): 271~281

[16] Sarker R, Talukdar S, AFMA Haque. Determination of optimum crop mix for crop cultivation in Bangladesh. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 1997, 21(10): 621~632

[17] Kurosaki T, Fafchamps M. Insurance market efficiency and crop choices in Pakistan. Journal of Development Economics, 2002, 67: 419~453

[18] Fafchamps M. Cash crop production, food price volatility, and rural market integration in the third world. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1992, 74(1): 90~99

[19] Antle JM, Crissman CC. Risk, efficiency, and the adoption of modern crop varieties: evidence from the Philippines. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 1990, 38(3): 517~537

[20] Feder G. Farm size, risk aversion and the adoption of new technologies under uncertainty. Oxford Economic Papers, 1980, 32(2): 263~283

[21] Feder G, Just R, Zilberman D. Adoption of agricultural innovations in developing countries: a survey. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 1985, 33(2): 255~298

[22] Robinson LJ, Brake J. Application of portfolio theory to farmer and lender behavior. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1979, 61(1):158~164

[23] de Janvry A, Fafchamps M, Sadoulet E. Peasant household behavior with missing markets: some paradoxes explained. Economics Journal, 1991, 101: 1400~1417

[24] Rosenzweig MR, Wolpin KI. Credit market constraints, consumption smoothing, and the accumulation of durable production assets in low-income countries: investments in Bullocks in India. Journal of Political Economics, 1993, 101(2): 223~244

[25] Ekasingh B, Ngamsomsuke K, Letcher RA, et al. A data mining approach to simulating farmers crop choices for integrated water resources management. Journal of Environmental Management, 2005, 77: 315~325

[26] Bellon MR. The dynamics of crop infraspecific diversity: a conceptual framework at the farmer level. Economic Botany, 1996, 50(1):26~39

[27] Bellon MR. Demand and supply of crop infraspecific diversity on farms: towards a policy framework for on-farm conservation. CIMMYT Economics Working Paper 01-01.Mexico, DF:CIMMYT, 2001

[28] Finkelshtain I, Chalfant JA. Marketed surplus under risk: do peasants agree with sandmo? American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1991, 73(3):558~567

[29] Smale M, Just R, Leathers H. Land allocation in HYV adoption models: an investigation of alternative explanations. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1994, 76(3):535~546

[30] Benjamin D. Household composition, labor markets, and labor demand: testing for separation in agricultural household models. Econometrica, 1992, 60(2):287~322

[31] Gavian S, Fafchamps M. Land tenure and allocative efficiency in Niger. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1996, 78(2): 460~471

[32] Pitt M, Rosenzweig M. Agricultural prices, food consumption, and the health and productivity of indonesian farmers. In: Singh I, Squire L, Strauss J (Eds). Agricultural Household Models: Extensions, Applications, and Policy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986

[33] Christopher U. Efficiency and market structure: testing for profit maximization in african agriculture. In: Ranis G, Raut LK (Eds). Trade, Growth and Development: Essays in Honor of T.N. Srinivasan. Elsevier Science, 2000

[34] Key N, Sadoulet E, de Janvry A. Transactions costs in the agricultural household supply response. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2000, 82(2): 245~259

Outlines

/