U.S.- China partnership for small-ag ventures
She sees potential in improving agriculture for small-farm operators in China while acknowledging that the communist system also presents barriers. Chinese farmers work on large collectives, but are able to sell crops grown on small tracts of a few acres.
Yang, manager of internal operations for a regional center in China, led a Chinese delegation that toured American farms and agribusinesses. That group included a representative of the agriculture ministry.
“He asked how we can learn.” Yang said. “I was really blown away when he asked me that, because he is part of the central government. They were so eager to learn how America does business, how they form their small businesses and maintain their brand image. The government recognizes the gap between the small-farm holders and the big-brand companies. They are focusing more on how to develop the small-farm holders. I see the opportunity there. Those companies need more technology and support. I want to focus on the small businesses. How do we connect all the quality services you provide? In return, how do we profit from it?”
Yang said the minister of agriculture has endorsed her effort to create a U.S.-China partnership to promote small-ag ventures.
Yang believes the Chinese government may need to tweak the economic system in order to make small-farm operations more attractive. As it is, she said, many farmers, frustrated with the small incomes they make, are moving to the cities, where economic opportunities are brighter.
“How do we provide an infrastructure to the farmers and have them be more self-supportive?” she asked. “Shanghai and Beijing, to me, don’t represent China. The communities between them do. You see the poverty there, the urgency. There are empty fields that we can utilize. Farmers don’t understand the life they are missing.
“China is just breaking ground, digging the dirt out, building the foundation. We need the bricks from the USA to help the Chinese companies build, so they have a solid foundation so it won’t crumble in the future like the dairy industry did in China.”
Yang also pointed to food safety as a major issue. She said that while she feels comfortable buying lettuce at a U.S. supermarket and making a salad with it, that confidence isn’t there in China. She said corruption has played a role in preventing improvements in food safety.
Source: agrinews-pubs.com
