| Author | Gu, Jianming |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AE-92-38 |
| Subject(s) | Agriculture and state--China--Jiangsu
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of master of science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The Taihu area in Jiangsu province was once one of the
leading agricultural areas in China . Rural industrialization
over the period 1970-1990 changed that position and, as a
consequence, the lives of the agricultural population . This
study traces the employment and movement of rural labour,
examines changes in agricultural production, and evaluates the
economy of farm households as rural industrialization passed
through its different stages.
Surplus rural labour can be absorbed in two ways:
increase employment in the agricultural sector or create
employment in the non-agricultural sector . In the 1960s and
70s surplus rural labour was absorbed in agricultural
production by the intensive exploitation of the land resources
in the Taihu area . Expansion of the farming area went hand in
hand with the development of multiple-cropping systems and
integrated farming systems. During this period rural industry
was in the service of agriculture.
A change in government policy at the end of the 1970s led
to rapid development of rural industry in the Taihu area: the
type and scale of industries c hanged as well as the markets
they served. Rural labour moved out of agriculture in response
to the demand for labour created by industrial development. As
a consequence the agriculture sector began to change in order
to adapt to the new rural economy .
The major movement of labour out of agriculture occurred
in the mid - 1980s. This was clearly associated with the rapid
development stage in rural industry . In 1991 only one third of
farm household labour was engaged in farming activities and
the number of labourers in the agricultural sector was less
than one person per family. Most of the labour transferred to
rural industry within the Taihu area. Some labour moved to
other areas and a few obtained employment in urban areas.
Agricultural production increased during the early period
of industrialization up to 1984 . After t hat it was stagnant
and then declined. A decrease in crop production was reflected
in the decline of the area used for crops as well as the yield
of crops per unit area. The production of commercial
agricultural commodities also decreased. The decline in
agriculture runs parallel with the loss of labour from t he
sector a nd with a reduction in capital input.
The economy of farm house holds increased greatly with the
advent of employment opportunities in rural industry. More
than two thirds of family income came from off- farm
employment. Concomitantly, income distribution among farm
households improved. |
| Year | 1992 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Gartner, J. A. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Suthad Setboonsarng ;Dias, Hiran D.
|
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Japanese Government; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1992 |