Young Farmers and the Dynamics of Agrarian Transition in China

For a transformative country like China that still has a large rural population and significant agricultural sector, the role of young farmers in the future of the country’s agrarian transition has extraordinary importance. The social awareness of young farmers and their important role varies in China in the last decade depending on the dynamics of agrarian change and socio-economic transformations. This issue is particularly relevant in the second decade of the twentieth century when the government is actively encouraging young people to commit to agriculture and rural revitalization in China; farming families are in a period of increased opportunity but not without related challenges. This chapter begins with a brief review of agrarian transition in China before exploring the general situation of rural youth in terms of education, vocation, and social mobility in order to provide the reader with a comprehensive background of the situation for young farmers in China. Before concluding, the final section will address the demographic challenges of Chinese agriculture.