Chinese farmers give up on making a living from the land despite government focus on food security

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Fewer and fewer people in China are willing to farm for a living, posing a threat to the food security of the world’s most populous nation. The Chinese central government has stressed the issue as a top priority for many years to avoid a potential food crisis. The Post visited one of the major grain-producing areas in central China and asked village residents why they have grown reluctant to continue with farming.

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[chillingdog]

Farmers should be our main priority. Without them, no food for us.

[ronriehle]

I farm in US and lack of rain is what scares me the most. I feel sad for the farmers in China who are dealing with hardships.

[Moonlight_Music_YT]

I can't imagine the struggles that farmers like Liu Xiuwen go through! My heart goes out to him and other struggling farmers around the world.

[angelicamaeflores]

My Family is a farmer too in the Philippines with lack of support from the government . Lots of farmers want to give up and one of them was my family, this is the only job that they have but due to low price of rice they need to sell the farm land this year 😓🥲 I hope all government in every country support farmers to avoid high prices of necessities but all of them were corrupt it's really unfair for those who work hard. 💔😿

[davel]

What a remarkably cheerful man, considering his predicament.

[ravensrolltop]

Very hard to be a farmer right now all over the world. Hope things get better for this man and his family.

[metallooily]

Foods on the table is utmost vital for all people , cherish & appreciate these farmers who toil the soil everyday 24/7, 365 days a year, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years

[ziggystardust]

What a lovely family, bless them! That village has a wonderful, calm atmosphere too. I hope they all have better yields this year, and that money comes to them. 🌦️🌱🌾🌱🌾🌱🌦️

[sdsdfgle]

China may look like a superpower, but in reality it's still a developing country with many imperfections and poverty going on. As a Chinese, my heart goes to all people under these circumstances in the world. Let's make the world a better place

[ickster]

It's the same everywhere. Societies have, over the past few hundreds of years, increasingly denigrated farmers, looked down on them, and called them a myriad condescending names. Society has viewed them as second class citizens. Politicians pander to the urban masses, as that's where the votes are. The urban demographic lives very differently, yet their opinions are forced on the rural demographic through laws. Resources and services also flow to the cities, leaving farmers without the same level of health care, internet, etc. As a final insult, the farmers work has almost no value compared to the urban demographic. Your average paper pusher make well over double what a farmer makes when comparing hourly income. So, with this in mind, why are the people in government surprised as this trend develops?

[salarmosavi]

farmers are the most hard working and the least appreciated people, while our very livelihood depends on them. The irony is tragic .

[anitagorse]

Just to warn you, guys and gals. There's a massive winter drought in central Europe, where things haven't improved since last years worst drought in 500 years. Rivers, used for irrigation, are at 20% of ordinairy water levels and there hasn't been much snow in the mountains. EU is a massive food producer and exporter but with high fertilizer and energy cost this year ban on food exports is to be expected. Only surplus will be allowed to be sent outside EU, but I doubt there will be any. Drought is also in South East of the USA, also massive food hub, dependent on irrigation. There isn't much to expect from Russia and Ukraine, either. Grow your own food, if you can. Huge hunger is coming if this conditons are about to go on and on...

[aaronjennings]

BTW, it's like this in small town America, too. The kids leave, and their parents never see them again.
Opportunities have dried up along with the fields.
Off they go.

[Nakshatthra]

Unfortunately almost all farmers around the world are going through similar situations. Not just the farmers in China… Growing food for self is still somewhat manageable. Growing food for the world is a thankless job.

[cjd]

You all have beautiful skin and look wonderful for your age… Your government needs to do more for its elders! 🙏🏼

[justinokraski]

It’s infuriating that they have all kinds of money to squander on building apartments that will never be used but can’t even cover basic medical care for the nation’s most fundamental workers. It runs directly in the face of what their government claims to have valued

[f.d.]

In settled regions, the HIE (heat island effect) affects the local weather about 10x stronger than underlying global weather phenomena. Especially heat spikes and lack of rainfall are directly linked to thermal effects around overbuilt areas. This effect of overbuilt area on rainfall can be nicely observed around a city like Munich (moderate climate, stable wind conditions) - Munich has a WET and a DRY side: the Southern part gets all the rain while the thermal updrafts from the city itself are preventing daytime rainfall in the North.
Our building activity has created a lot of those hot-spots preventing humid air from reaching farmland in the proximity of cities and megacities while pumping up increasing amounts of ground water. The fact that many rivers (like the Rideau river and the Ottawa river) show the same amount of annual discharge despite lower rainfall, clearly indicates that not enough rainwater is allowed to reach the soil.

[davidcunningham]

It is dire situation one can only feel deeply sorry for these farmers who deserve support rather than state persecution.

[chadachwilliam]

Can’t blame them for getting tired of carrying the nation on their shoulders.

[patriciawong]

I live in the Equator and in my city and province, we have rains nearly everyday since last October.
The weather has been very freaky and the rains seemed like never stopped. From torrential to light rains... out of 30 days, we get 5 days of sun throughout the day. 25 days of rain.
How I wish all these rain could be shipped out to his area.