Production et producteurs de coton dans la province du Hebei, Chine
- Literature reference
-
- Author
- FOK Michel, Wang Guiyan and Liang Weili
- English title of the work
- Cotton farming and farmers in Hebei province, Northern China
- Title of the work
- Production et producteurs de coton dans la province du Hebei, Chine
- Year of publication
- 2013
- Author's email
- michel.fok@cirad.fr
- Book title
- Cotton Beltwide Conferences, San Antonio (USA)
- Miscellaneous extra information
- Le document chargé est le diaporama de la présentation;
Uploaded document is the powerpoint slideshow of the presentation at the conference - URL Address
- http://www.slire.net/download/2192/fok_cotfarming_china.pdf
- Countries concerned
-
China
- Associated thesauruses
-
Colire
- Keywords Colire
Family living conditions
Living conditions
Access to welfare services
Education
Women's' contribution to production
Women's fieldworks
Change in women's contribution
Effects of women's production contribution
Women's work load
Technical assistance to producers
Public supply
Access to supply
Income estimation
Cotton income
Production cost estimation
Production cost
Biotechnology factor of production cost
GM seed cost
GM seed use conditions
Non-Technology factor of production cost
Other factors of production cost
Competition for production factors
Labour competition
- Saved on
- 2014-10-11
- Modifed on
- 2014-10-11
- Administrated by
-
Fok Michel
- Abstract
- China is the leading cotton country in terms of production, consumption, and imports. Cotton production trends in China impact directly on its import needs and the world cotton market. The characteristics of Chinese cotton farming are a factor in cotton production trends but they remain insufficiently assessed.
This paper helps to make up for the lack of analyses on cotton farming in China. It is based on data obtained through four years of surveys in Hebei province, Northern China, from 2006 to 2009.
The results show that cotton farm holdings are quite tiny, less than one hectare. This farm size is not substantially increased for those who are able to rent land from families having in practice moved out of farming. The widespread involvement of farming family members in off-farm activities implies a degree of farming feminization. In return, the resulting income provides financial assistance for farming. Farm heads are, on average, in their early fifties, with a primary school education, slightly better than their wives. The size of their families appears to be less impacted by the one-child policy. Unmarried children, in their early twenties, are of significantly higher educational levels than their parents, particularly for girls. Thanks to this educational level, farmers' children are extensively involved in off-farm activities and are seldom engaged in farm activities, even occasionally. There are still youngsters getting into farming, but at a lower rate than the older people close to moving out. The lower educational level of these young farmers raises the question of whether they have embraced farming by default. Globally, cotton production is likely to result from fewer farmers in the future.
- English abstract
- China is the leading cotton country in terms of production, consumption, and imports. Cotton production trends in China impact directly on its import needs and the world cotton market. The characteristics of Chinese cotton farming are a factor in cotton production trends but they remain insufficiently assessed.
This paper helps to make up for the lack of analyses on cotton farming in China. It is based on data obtained through four years of surveys in Hebei province, Northern China, from 2006 to 2009.
The results show that cotton farm holdings are quite tiny, less than one hectare. This farm size is not substantially increased for those who are able to rent land from families having in practice moved out of farming. The widespread involvement of farming family members in off-farm activities implies a degree of farming feminization. In return, the resulting income provides financial assistance for farming. Farm heads are, on average, in their early fifties, with a primary school education, slightly better than their wives. The size of their families appears to be less impacted by the one-child policy. Unmarried children, in their early twenties, are of significantly higher educational levels than their parents, particularly for girls. Thanks to this educational level, farmers' children are extensively involved in off-farm activities and are seldom engaged in farm activities, even occasionally. There are still youngsters getting into farming, but at a lower rate than the older people close to moving out. The lower educational level of these young farmers raises the question of whether they have embraced farming by default. Globally, cotton production is likely to result from fewer farmers in the future.