Western Development: Ecological Economy and Sustainable Agriculture

Author: Liu Zhiwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book conducts research on agricultural resources and environmental issues in western China from the perspective of ecological economics, enriching the theoretical connotations of agricultural sustainability and exploring models and institutional arrangements for the coordinated development of agricultural economy and resource environment. It first analyzes the background, connotations, and objectives of agricultural sustainability, then evaluates the ecological economic development process in western China to reveal the main ecological economic problems and challenges during agricultural development. Applying ecological economic theories, particularly market failure theory, government intervention failure theory, and externality theory, it examines their underlying causes. Combined with the natural, economic, and social conditions of western China, it proposes objectives, priorities, and implementation pathways for sustainable agricultural development in the region, strengthening the three foundations—ecological environment construction, agricultural infrastructure development, and agricultural social service system construction—to address the three challenges—rural industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural internationalization—and establishing the six systems: establishing a market system compatible with sustainability; strengthening the protection of agricultural natural resources and the environment and establishing a food case system; integrating resource optimization allocation and strategic adjustment of the agricultural structure to establish and improve an agricultural industry system compatible with sustainability; improving an agricultural technology system effective for sustainability through technological innovation and ecological transformation of existing technologies; accelerating rural social development while promoting rural economic development to establish and improve a rural social system compatible with sustainability; and establishing and improving a comprehensive management system compatible with agricultural sustainability through institutional and mechanism innovation. Based on the differences in natural, social, economic, and technological conditions of agriculture in western China, it conducts agricultural ecological economic zoning and formulates regional strategies and models to achieve sustainable agricultural development.