China has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty and providing food security over the past 30 years but still faces a number of challenges, said Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food at a press briefing on food security in Beijing on Tuesday.

Olivier De Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, speaks?at a press briefing on food security in Beijing, December 23, 2010. [Pierre Chen/China.org.cn]

De Schutter cited 30 years of investment in agriculture and reforms that have made small-scale farmers incredible productive. Since 2005, China no longer relied on assistance from the World Food Program, and in fact, emerged as a food aid donor.

 

With the success of small-scale farming, De Schutter recommended China share its experiences and expertise with other countries.

He went on to praise China's national food reserves: "China will be better equipped than many countries to face the situation in the future, in which food prices will likely be higher and more volatile."

China's grain reserves are estimated to be double the level recommended by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Presumably this will help farmers better endure volatile food prices in the world market.

However, De Schutter said that despite the progress made in ensuring food security, China still faces a number of challenges. The widening chasm between the urban and rural areas has become a great challenge as income disparity has increased over the last two years, and migrant workers remain unable to enjoy basic public services in the cities where they work.

Furthermore, De Schutter warned that more than one third of China's farmland is degraded and needs to be restored.

"The shrinking of arable land and the massive land degradation threatens China's ability to maintain current levels of agricultural production," he said.

Addressing that issue, the Ministry of Land and Resources revealed last Friday plans to invest more than 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) over the next five years to improve the country's farmland.

And don't forget about the perpetually looming threat of climate change, De Schutter said. According to a UN Development Program report, if stronger action isn't taken to combat climate change, conditions could reduce agriculture productivity by 5 to 10 percent by 2030.