Abstract
This chapter explains whether new, entrepreneurial forms of agriculture, as they are known in the West, are also being developed in China. This specific case is based on an accountancy booklet, which was discovered by one of the authors of this chapter during his field research. The farmer, Sun, who currently works 726 mu of land seems, at first sight, to be an archetypical expression of the agricultural entrepreneur. In August 2005, Sun was appointed as a village leader. His accountancy records describe the period between June 2004 and July 2008. Sun's farm is large and it is quickly expanding. It is highly mechanized and, above all, it shows a remarkable multifunctionality, combining a wide range of different economic activities. Whereas Sun reclaimed land, Zhao the farmer who is central to our second case, is a clear and in a way convincing example of the strategy of buying as much land as possible.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | China’s Peasant Agriculture and Rural Society |
Subtitle of host publication | Changing paradigms of farming |
Editors | Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Jingzhong Ye |
Place of Publication | London |
Publisher | Routledge |
Chapter | 5 |
Pages | 85-106 |
Number of pages | 22 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781317285465 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781138187177 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2016 |