Impact of China on Food Security Issues Around the World

Introduction

Food and agriculture have always been China’s fundamental assets in its massive economic development. Its historical experience of famines and food crises, alongside the most recent yet the most devastating famine occurring from 1958 to 1962 as a result of Mao Zedong’s agricultural policies which cost 30 million lives, led to a change in Chinese policies towards food security. Since then, China has largely focused on ensuring food security in the country and it has done so through the successful implementation of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms. These economic reforms commenced with agrarian reforms that resulted in increased domestic food production which ultimately had a significant impact on the economic growth of China. 

As a country with an estimated 1.44 billion population (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2019), which makes up almost 19% of the world’s total population, China has become the largest producer and consumer of food. China is currently feeding a population of about 1.4 billion people on less than 9% of the world’s arable and 8% of freshwater resources. The country, in 1996, introduced a policy of maintaining the nation’s self-sufficiency in cereal grains at over a 95% target rate and a minimum of 120 million hectares of arable land, which the government has been successful in the years since. Over the past few years, China’s improved socio-economic status and rapid population increase have dramatically accelerated the demand for food. This ultimately places immense pressure on the country’s land and water resources, leading to a decline in grain self-sufficiency.

Even though China’s population growth has dropped to the slowest ever and is expected to further decline by 2050, this population decline is still insufficient to meet the growing food security challenges that the Asian Giant is expected to face. The rapid climate change, frequent natural disasters, limited water resources, outdated agricultural infrastructure, ecological degradation, and land and water pollution due to the misuse of fertilizers continue to reduce the grain output and production capacity of Chinese agriculture. Therefore, China has to look for alternate ways for food sources. The state became a net food importer in 2003 and its food imports have grown from $14 billion in 2003 to approximately $107 billion in 2017.

How is the Lack of Food Security in China Affecting the World?

China’s food consumption in recent years has increased significantly due to the reasons stated earlier. The rapid increase in the Chinese population along with enhanced dietary intake and improved nutritional status, has proved to be a major challenge to ensure its food security.

1. China’s Reliance on Imports to Meet Public Demands 

China has made many effective ways to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. By implementing emergency food reserve systems and modern food production techniques, it has made sure that it meets the rising Chinese people’s food preferences and demands of “eating well.” But now, self-sufficiency is no longer the only optimal choice for Chinese people. 

To meet the rising food demands of its people, China turned to international sources of food production. Despite being the world’s leading cereal grain producer, it has to import grains due to inadequacy to meet its people’s demands. China’s grain imports have grown significantly in the last two decades as the country imported a record 164.5 million tonnes of grain in 2021. The country became the biggest importer of agricultural products in 2011 as it surpassed the USA for the first time by raising grain imports from $108.3 billion in 2010 to $144.7 billion in 2011. This growing reliance on agricultural product imports and the ban on food grain exports is likely to exacerbate the world food crisis. This could result in severe consequences such as poverty and malnutrition, especially in third-world countries. 

In addition to this, the substantial increase in Chinese income has propelled demands for animal protein, high-quality food products including fruits and vegetables, and adequate cereal grains. The country imports a bulk of grains, particularly corn and soybeans, for animal feed as well as for human consumption despite having it produced at home. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization report, China is the world’s single largest importer of soybeans and the US’ biggest customer which is the world’s biggest producer of this agricultural commodity. In the late 1990s, China opened up imports of soybeans to fulfill its increasing demands for animal feed, which resulted in massive deforestation in Latin America and the eviction of millions of local small-scale butchers. The country’s improved socioeconomic status led to an even higher demand for meat and animal-based products. In 2018, China imported around 4 million tonnes of meat, occupying 4.7% of meat production, whereas it only exported 0.38 million tonnes of meat. Many academics blame China’s rising demand for meat for the startling spike in grain prices in 2008. Moreover, China also remains the third largest importer of seafood, accounting for more than 25% of global seafood consumption.

Experts are of the view that China’s long-term reliance on foreign exports could put additional pressure on global markets. This, combined with rising transport and storage costs, may lead to a hike in food prices globally. Consequently, it could exacerbate food insecurity in many resource-scarce countries that rely heavily on imported food. 

2. China’s Increasing Food Demands: A Threat to SDGs 

China has also become one of the most populous countries in the world. Providing enough food for its growing population while minimizing environmental impact is also one of the greatest sustainability challenges that the country is facing today. It is also quite a daunting task for the whole world as the agricultural sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity, and it affects the whole world. 

Chinese population’s growing demand for livestock products, such as meat and dairy, is forcing the need for pasture expansion which is a source of GHG emissions and poses a major challenge to sustainable agricultural development within the country. 

The over-application of mineral fertilizers on crops significantly increases nitrogen oxide emissions, complemented by rapidly rising emissions from vehicles, power plants, and industries. These gasses pollute the air and are major contributors to global climate change. The country’s agricultural production now accounts for 13% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The nation’s increasing reliance on agricultural imports also impacts the global environment. Studies found that, in recent years, the displacement of resource use and environmental damage through international trade has significantly contributed to the environmental impacts of domestic food production.

3. Environmental Impacts on China’s Trading Partners

The country’s increasing demand for food has impacted the sustainable development goals of Chinese trading partners. China’s major agricultural trade partners mainly Brazil, the United States, and Canada suffer the most from crop-related environmental impacts. 

China’s imports of soybeans in 2017 were responsible for 43% of the deforestation emissions caused by soy farming in Brazil as quoted by CPD Worldwide in 2019. China is currently ranked third in the list of countries with significant investments for “acquiring land” and by 2050, it is expected to be 2 times additional landholder on foreign lands for its agricultural use. Although these land acquisitions may fulfill China’s food demand, they may also have severe impacts not only on those countries and their local residents but on the global environment as well. 

The environmental impacts extend beyond just crop products to include crops used as feed in livestock product exports to China. In New Zealand, feed used for livestock products sent to China accounts for 15% of both nitrogen use and irrigation water consumption. These practices along with the pasture productivity in meat exporting countries to meet the growing meat demands of Chinese people contribute highly to polluting the environment through GHG emissions. 

4. China’s Food Wastage: A Threat to Global Food Security

Food wastage is another major problem facing the world and is considered a major challenge for multinational food security and the environment. Studies found that about one-third of global food supplies are wasted every year while millions of people are dying from hunger around the world. Food waste contributes to the worsening of the environment. When food waste is deposited in landfills, it emits a potent greenhouse gas called methane as it decomposes. China is among the top countries in the world that waste food. Studies found that about 35 million tonnes of food are wasted in China every year which makes up around 6% of the nation’s total food production. About half of that food is wasted at the last stage of the supply chain: consumer leftovers and waste from outdated food removed from restaurants and supermarkets.

Recommendations

Keeping in mind the fact that China is likely to face food shortage in the future, it is recommended that the government preserve and even expand its grain production land through restrictions on the conversion of agricultural land for residential or industrial use. Additionally, the government should promote the reclamation of vacant residential places so that the land can be used for food production purposes. 

As China depends heavily on foreign food imports to meet its people’s food demands, it should strengthen cooperation with its international stakeholders to stabilize the international supply chain and also pay close attention to the increasing price pressures in the global food market. Moreover, the country needs to focus more on environmental management and climate challenges which could largely impact food production as well as human lives. The Chinese Government’s main focus should be on increasing food production while achieving sustainable development goals so that the dependence on foreign food imports should be minimized. 

Finally, mitigation measures need to be taken by the Chinese Government to prevent food wastage. In this regard, the government should promote the adoption of mechanized agriculture and more efficient machinery during the harvesting phase to reduce food loss. In addition to this, the Chinese Government should make sure of the better implementation of legislative and regulatory measures to discourage food wastage by citizens. 

Conclusion

This study proves that China remains a significant contributor to global food production as well as consumption. However, Chinese demand for food is having a severe impact on the world in several ways, including the hike in food prices globally, negative effects on the environment, a threat to the achievement of sustainable development goals, and food wastage which could increase further pressure on global food security. 

The excessive Chinese demand for food has resulted in an increase in food production by Chinese trading partners, taking a toll on the global environment. To cope with these problems and ensure Chinese, as well as global, food security, sustainable intensification techniques, and better market strategies, must be adopted.

---

Bibliography

1. Bloomberg. 2012. “China Overtakes US as Largest Crop Importer, WTO Data Show.” Bloomberg, September 20, 2012.
2. Brown, Lester. 1995. Who will feed China? Wake-up call for a small planet. New York. WW Norton & Company.
3. CDP Worldwide. 2019. Decoupling China’s Soy Imports from Deforestation Driven Carbon Emissions in Brazil. London: CDP Worldwide. https://resources.trase.earth/documents/issuebriefs/CDP_China_soy_emissions_briefing_FINAL.pdf
4. FAOSTAT. 2021. “Food and Agriculture Data.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
5. Ghose, Bishwajit. 2014. “Food security and food self-sufficiency in China: from past to 2050.” Food and Energy Security 3, no. 2 (July): 86-95.
6. Global Times. 2022. “Over 150 million tons of autumn grain purchased in China.” Global Times, February 25, 2022.
7. Jardine, Brooke. 2021. “Food Security in China: Challenges, Policies, and Projections.” Journal of Chinese Policies, National Security, and Foreign Affairs, 83-94.
8. Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union. 2022. “Ensuring Global Food Security: What China Says and Does.” Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union, July 18, 2022. https://euobserver.com/stakeholders/arc2a56bbc
9. NBSC (National Bureau of Statistics of China). 2019. “National Data.” National Bureau of Statistics of China. https://data.stats.gov.cn/english/easyquery.htm?cn=C01
10. Wong, Chloe. 2022. “Food Waste in China and How the Government is Combating it.” Earth.org, January 28, 2022. https://earth.org/food-waste-in-china/
11. WWF-UK. 2021. Driven to Waste: The Global Impact of Food Loss and Waste on Farm.
12. Yang, Chaowu, Xiaosong Jiang., Huarui Du, Qingyun Li, Zengrong Zhang, Mohan Qiu, & Chunlin Yu. 2021. “A review: achievements and new obstacles in China’s food security revealed by grain and animal meat production.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 705. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/705/1/012025
13. Yuneng, D. 2019. “Can China’s food production capability meet her peak food demand in the future? Based on food demand and production capability prediction till the year 2050.” International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 23, no. 1 (September): 1-17. doi: 10.22434/IFAMR2018.0116
14. Zhao, Hao, Jinfeng Chang, Petr Havlik, Michiel Van Dijk, Hugo Valin, Charlotte Janssens, Lin Ma, et. al. 2021. “China’s future food demand and its implications for trade and environment.” Nature Sustainability 4 (October), 1042-1051. 
15. Zhao, Hao, Petr Havlik, and Ansa Heyl. 2021. “Exploring the global environmental impacts of China’s growing demand for food.” International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), October 18, 2021. ;
16. Zhou, Xun. 2012. The Great Famine in China, 1958-1962: A documented History. New Haven: Yale University Press.

---

If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please check the Submissions page.

The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.