China to plough extra 20% into agricultural production amid fears that climate change will spark food crisis

Guardian (UK): China will increase spending on agricultural production by 20% this year amid warnings that climate change could spark a future food crisis. Prime minister Wen Jiabao's announcement of an extra 121 billion yuan (£13bn) to boost farm yields and raise rural incomes was a central part of his annual budget speech at the Great Hall of the People.

The government's spending pledge also included extra money for renewable energy and improved power efficiency, but these environmental benefits were outweighed by moves to boost overall domestic consumption and a likely emphasis on intensive agriculture.

The short-term aim is to ease the impact of the economic crisis on rural dwellers, who account for more than half of the 1.3bn population. This group is considered a potential source of social instability because the average rural income is just a third that of the city. Wen said grain prices would be increased as an incentive for farmers to produce more….

Chinese harvest, shot by Steve Evans from Bangalore, India, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License