Lie of the land

Overview

With seven per cent of global farmland but 20 per cent of the world's people, China has growing difficulty in juggling land resources for food with industrialisation and urbanisation. This is aggravated by erosion, pollution, and the large stretches of deserts and mountains. Much of the most productive agriculture is in provinces where industry and urbanisation are strongest. The result is a major contest for land.

As arable land falls towards the minimum needed for the 95 per cent...