2019 CAER-IFPRI Annual International Conference: Promoting a quality-driven food system in China

Over the past seven decades, agricultural production has grown fast in China. According to a white paper on food security just released by the State Council Information Office, China’s annual per capita food production is about 470 kilograms, above the global average; China also supplies 95% of its own grain. China now produces enough food to feed its nearly 1.4 billion people, a remarkable achievement in agricultural-food development.

However, China still faces pressures from undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and overnutrition (overweight and obesity). To address these challenges, the country needs to reshape its agri-food system, shifting the emphasis from ensuring food supply to providing healthy and nutritious foods.

What are the best approaches to transforming China’s food system? This topic was at the center of the 11th CAER-IFPRI Annual International Conference Oct. 17-19, co-organized by IFPRI, Zhejiang University, China Agricultural Economic Review (CAER), and China Agricultural University, with the theme Quality-Driven Development in China’s Food System: Challenges and Solutions. The conference attracted more than 150 participants from 13 countries to discuss the pathways to a sustainable, healthy, nutritious food system in China.

Photo Credit: IFPRI