China’s agricultural and rural development faces a number of deep-rooted challenges. The small-scale structure of the farm sector and an aging population stand in the way of agricultural modernization and upscaling, weakening the competitiveness of China’s aricultural sector when compared to the US and Europe.
Agricultural production cooperatives are designed to address these challenges by allowing farmers to entrust some farming operations to specialized service organizations. The study presents empirical findings from a recent trial project, investigating the impact of one such production cooperative on mechanization rates and agricultural upgrading.
Author: Chai Yu (Shenyang Agricultural University), with contributions from Lea Siebert (DCZ)
