|
|
Rural poverty in China The People’s Republic of China is the third-largest country in the world and home to more than 1.3 billion people. It is a vast expanse of sea-coast, fertile plains and valleys, rugged mountains and wind-swept deserts. China’s vastness and diversity encompass a broad range of the problems and challenges facing small farmers and pastoralists throughout the developing world. Population pressure strains the productive capacity of the 10 per cent of the land areathat is suitable for sustained cultivation. Increasing numbers of livestock compete for fodder on fragile rangelands. Flood-prone areas and deteriorating irrigation systems cause waterlogging and salinization. Encroaching deserts threaten formerly productive land. The efforts of China's
Government to stimulate economic growth have focused largely on boosting
the productivity of its enormous rural population. In the late 1970s,
the government introduced the household responsibility system (HRS),
which was a major shift away from a collective system to one in which
individual households had greater control and decision-making powers
over the land and other resources they used. At the same time, the
government gradually relaxed its control over markets and prices. Despite China's strong and sustained economic
growth, poverty is still widespread, especially in remote rural areas.
Income inequalities between eastern and western China have risen,
and the income gap between rural and urban residents has widened considerably
since the late 1970s. Urban incomes are now more than three times
higher than rural incomes. The government is taking serious measures
to correct this trend by increasing investments in rural areas, especially
in infrastructure, irrigation, education and health. These investments
aim to create a balanced well-off society through economic and social
development. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
email this article