It’s heartbreaking—farmers say they really don’t want to farm anymore.
Release date:
2021-10-28
This is a very clear phenomenon: in some areas, growing crops for just one season doesn’t yield as much income as earning from a month of wage labor elsewhere. Naturally, when money flows where it’s most abundant, we farmers end up prioritizing "dagong" (migrant work) as our primary source of income—effectively turning farming into merely a side hustle. As a result, we often don’t invest much effort or care into farming itself, settling for whatever practices allow us to get by. Consequently, farming techniques stagnate, and yields inevitably decline.
The answers are basically the same: definitely not farming!
Why would a farmer be unwilling to farm? Four heartbreaking reasons!
Low grain prices hurt farmers.
This is the most fundamental reason: in recent years, the global economic environment has been unfavorable, causing grain prices to plummet. Meanwhile, our country is grappling with internal and external challenges, forcing us to align domestic grain prices with international market trends—meaning that domestic grain prices are also declining. Today, farmers in China largely depend on selling their crops for their income; thus, a drop in grain prices directly translates into lower earnings for agricultural producers. And when farming no longer provides enough income to support their families, many farmers will ultimately have no choice but to abandon this vital profession altogether.
Working for a wage earns more than farming.
This is a very clear phenomenon: in some areas, growing one season of crops doesn’t earn as much as earning from a month of wage labor elsewhere. Naturally, when money flows where it’s most abundant, we farmers end up prioritizing打工 (migrant work) as our main source of income—turning farming into just a side hustle. As a result, we often don’t put much effort or care into farming itself, settling for whatever works to get by. Consequently, farming techniques stagnate, and yields inevitably decline.
Personally, I believe this is a pricing mistake—much like the corn reform, where we need to ensure that the returns from corn, soybeans, and rice are roughly equal. Only then can we prevent any single crop from becoming overwhelmingly dominant. The same logic applies to the choice between farming and working as laborers: if the earnings from farming and wage work are comparable, I think many farmers would still prefer to stay in agriculture.
Agricultural costs have been steadily rising.
Grain prices are falling, dragging down costs and helping to safeguard farmers' incomes. However, Chinese farmers now face a dual challenge: grain prices are capped at low levels, while agricultural input costs—such as fertilizers, machinery, and labor—are steadily rising, pushing the cost floor ever higher. This relentless pressure from both ends continues to erode farmers' earnings, leaving them feeling increasingly discouraged about the viability of farming.
The subsidy is a drop in the bucket.
Due to China's large agricultural population, it has been challenging to improve farmers' livelihoods through subsidies. While the government has indeed stepped up its efforts, these measures still fall far short of meeting the needs of hundreds of millions of farmers. Moreover, the implementation of subsidies often leaves much to be desired—corruption frequently creeps into the middle layers, resulting in those who deserve support receiving nothing, while others pocket every last cent they shouldn’t. Although the government spends generously on subsidies, the funds aren’t always directed where they’re most needed, leaving critical areas underfunded and underserved.
We’re not unwilling to farm—it’s just that the land truly can no longer support crops!
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