Transforming Lives with Livestock-based Agribusiness
2003
Files
Details
Title
Transforming Lives with Livestock-based Agribusiness
Subject(s)
Issue Date
Aug 13 2003
Publication Type
Conference Paper/ Presentation
DOI and Other Identifiers
10.22004/ag.econ.124014
Record Identifier
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/124014
PURL Identifier
http://purl.umn.edu/124014
Language
English
Total Pages
14
Note
This paper is concerned with improving the
livelihoods of rural households in China — especially
those involved in ruminant livestock
production — in the context of market-oriented
reform. Two broad categories of household
are considered — diversified households and
specialised households.
Livelihoods are largely determined first, by the
way the households interface with the industries
or industry in which they are involved and
secondly, by the development paths of these
industries.
Traditionally, the dominant Chinese approach
to industry development is policy rather than
market driven. Interventionist policies are introduced
that target the construction of production
bases with the aim of increasing
physical output. At a later stage, attention
turns to the development of processing facilities,
hopefully, to value add. Little attention is
given to development of agribusiness aspects
of the marketing chain or to market demand.
Nowadays, China is beginning to make the
transition from an output-oriented form of industry
development to policies that aim to
create ‘modern’ agribusiness sectors. However,
the interventionist-targeting approach
remains dominant and the emphasis in recent
years has been on the development of highlyconcentrated,
vertically-integrated marketing
chains controlled by large semi-government
corporations that aim at the high-value end of
available markets.
The paper argues for a more facilitative policy
approach to encourage the growth of a diverse
agribusiness sector in China to allow a
much wider range of households to participate
in, and benefit from, the ruminant livestock
revolution.
Record Appears in
Crawford Fund > 2003: The Livestock Revolution: A Pathway from Poverty?, 13 August 2003