Policy-oriented Rural Development in China and Its Potential Influence on Rural Development in Africa

Abstract

In most developing countries, large populations live in rural areas and rely heavily on the agricultural economy. Rural development has attracted much attention from the United Nations (UN), governments in developing countries and rural development researchers. Both China and the countries of the African continent have vast areas of rural land, and numerous farmers. In this paper, the authors review rural development in China since 1978, and summarise stages of development and actual experiences. In the past 40 years, poverty reduction has been a key feature of regional planning and rural development in China, and rural development policies have played a crucial role in the success of rural poverty reduction. In 1978, some 250 million Chinese citizens, approximately 30% of the national population, were classified as living in poverty. With rural development and poverty reduction, the number of Chinese citizens in poverty decreased continuously to 125 million in 1986 and 80 million in 1993. In 2013, the population living in poverty in rural areas was about 70 million. The poverty reduction strategy in China has become much more precise and the central government hopes to solve the rural poverty problem before 2020. The three core components of China's rural development in recent decades have been policy, investment and technology. With government policies as a firm foundation, investment and technology have significantly accelerated the rural development process in China. China's rural development could potentially influence rural development in African countries, although there is a need to carefully consider the specific social systems of the different rural regions in the African continent. China's influence on African agriculture has been limited, but there is the potential for this to increase in the future.