Examining the needs of China's Food Security from a New Perspective

Food security is the top priority of governing the country. As a large country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, the party and government have always attached great importance to grain work, and put forward a new food security strategy of "taking us as the main body, having a foothold at home, ensuring production capacity, moderate import, and supporting by science and technology". This is of great strategic guiding significance for doing a good job in grain work under the new situation and ensuring national food security.

When talking about China's grain problem, some scholars and people in the industry always point out the difference between China's grain concept and the international grain concept. The concept of food and grain commonly used abroad is not consistent with that of Chinese grain. At home, people are used to referring to traditional staple food as "grain", which mainly refers to rice, wheat, corn, beans and potatoes, such as soybeans. China classifies it as grain, while the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations classifies it as oil. In foreign countries, the concept of "grain" corresponding to Chinese does not exist, and the English word corresponding to "grain" can not be found in the English dictionary. International organizations and governments all over the world pay close attention to "Food", which means "food", not just "food". The Concise Oxford Dictionary published in 1982 defines "Food" as the substance necessary to maintain the growth, metabolism and life process of the body and to supply energy, which is basically made up of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. In addition, it also contains some essential minerals, vitamins and auxiliary substances for the body, which are nutrients in solid form. (research on the current situation, challenges and Countermeasures of Food Security in China, Cao Baoming et al., China Agricultural Press, 2011, p. 2). This is also noted in the outline of the medium-and long-term Plan for National Food Security (2008-2020), that is, grain in the outline mainly refers to grains (including wheat, rice, corn, etc.), legumes and potatoes; food, refers to food, edible vegetable oils, meat, poultry, eggs, milk and aquatic products. The author has no intention to compare the differences between the two concepts of "grain" and "food" at home and abroad, but tries to briefly analyze the new changes and new situation of China's grain situation from the reality of China's economic and social development. it is pointed out that in order to comply with the new trends and requirements of the development of grain situation in our country, it is necessary to examine and consider China's food security from a new perspective. In order to meet the food needs and nutrition development needs of the people, and to ensure China's food and food security fundamentally and in the long run, it is necessary to transition from the existing traditional concept of food security to a whole new concept of food security.

A comprehensive understanding of the new situation of China's national food consumption and food security

It is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

National food consumption demand shows new changes, and there are three major trends that need to be paid attention to. First, the demand for food rations has declined, while the demand for feed grain has increased, due to the upgrading of people's consumer demand and the increase in consumer demand for meat, eggs and milk. Rice is the most important food rations in China. Since the 1990s, with the increasing diversification of consumption structure, the proportion of rice consumption in grain consumption has shown a slow decline. In 1978, rice consumption accounted for 40.31%, compared with 33.58% in 2010. In 2007, residents consumed 264.5 million tons of food rations, accounting for 51.61% of the total consumption demand. It is estimated that by 2020, the consumption of food rations will drop to 247.5 million tons, accounting for 43.0% of the total consumption demand. Feed consumption will continue to grow, and its proportion will be close to that of rations. It is estimated that by 2020, the consumption of feed grain will reach 235.5 million tons, accounting for 40.92% of the total consumption demand. ("Food Security Strategy for 1.4 billion people", edited by Han Jun, Learning Press, Hainan Press, 2012, pp. 59-62) the second is the acceleration of urbanization and the rapid growth of urban residents' consumption of non-staple food. This will create new incremental demand for non-staple food consumption. According to a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2012, the per capita consumption of refined grain by farmers in 2011 was 120 kg, while that of urban residents was about 80 kg lower than that of urban residents. However, all other agricultural products consumed by urban residents are significantly higher than those of farmers. Fresh vegetables are 28% higher, vegetable oil is 24% higher, meat (including pigs, cattle and sheep) is 56% higher than farmers, poultry is 136% higher, poultry eggs are 87% higher, and aquatic products are more than twice higher. Therefore, with the acceleration of urbanization in China, the consumption demand for non-staple food will further increase, which we must fully evaluate and prepare. Third, with the continuous improvement of living standards, people's dietary concept is becoming more and more scientific and reasonable; at the same time, based on the needs of ensuring the development of national nutrition, the diversified demand for food has become an objective trend and inevitable requirement. According to the food consumption target set in China's Program for Food and Nutrition Development (2014-2020), by 2020, the country's annual per capita consumption of food rations is 135 kg, edible vegetable oil 12 kg, legumes 13 kg, meat 29 kg, eggs 16 kg, milk 36 kg, aquatic products 18 kg, vegetables 140 kg and fruit 60 kg. In order to achieve this goal, we must develop a diversified whole food industry system. The trend of diversification of food consumption is not only an objective reality, but also the inevitable requirement of economic and social development. The focus of people's attention has shifted from being full to eating well and healthily. Therefore, we should not only pay attention to the "rice bag" project, but also pay attention to the "vegetable basket" project, but also pay more attention to nutrition and health projects for the whole people, key areas and different groups.

For a long time, paying too much attention to the production of staple grain has put great pressure on the ecological environment. Based on the need to solve the problem of food and clothing, China traditionally attaches great importance to the production of staple grain, and the concept of "taking grain as the key link" has existed for a long time. The long-term cumulative results of the over-development of cultivated land and the continuous pressure of increasing grain production have caused serious soil and water loss, the decline of surface water, the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, and caused a heavy burden to the ecological environment. At present, the use of chemical fertilizer in China may be the highest in the world. In 2012, China used 58.39 million tons of chemical fertilizers, 1.8 million tons of pesticides and 2.38 million tons of agricultural film, and about 1 million tons of debris remained in the soil every year. All kinds of pollutants emitted by agricultural production account for about half of the emissions of various pollutants in the whole country. This has caused a certain degree of land pollution and the decline of soil fertility. Therefore, to establish a new safety concept of food safety, according to the actual situation of China's land and resources, to comprehensively and rationally distribute the food production system from the perspective of whole food, to achieve ploughing while ploughing, animal husbandry, forest and fishing are suitable for ploughing, forest and fishing, which can not only ensure the overall supply of food, but also help to restore and protect the ecology.

To meet the objective needs of diversified food consumption of Chinese people, it is necessary to build a complete food industry system. From the above analysis, in order to adapt to the new changes in consumer demand and meet the new needs of Chinese nutrition development, we need to build an omni-directional food industry system. Under the premise of ensuring the absolute safety of food rations and basic self-sufficiency of grain, the healthy development of other food industries can not be ignored. In the long run, the establishment of an overall new concept of food safety is conducive to the adjustment and balance of the industrial structure and promote the healthy and coordinated development of related industries, such as the coordinated development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishing.

Building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and the healthy development of the economy and society need to provide all-round food security. In 2013, China's per capita GDP has reached more than 6700 US dollars, and has entered the ranks of middle-and high-income countries. The ultimate goal of development is for people, and the level of food security, health and nutrition, life span and quality of life of the residents of a country are important indicators to measure the level of economic and social development of a country, among which, taking food safety as an overall category into consideration and making comprehensive arrangements is more in line with the reality of national and social development. Generally speaking, the shift from the concept of food security to the concept of food security is also the choice of a country's macro strategy at different stages. At the stage of low level of development, it is mainly to ensure satiety; while when entering the middle and advanced stage of development, its goal orientation is to eat well and healthily, to meet the needs of the national scientific and reasonable diet and to ensure the healthy development of nutrition as far as possible, and strive to achieve the diversification of food structure, the standardization of products, the science of diet and the popularization of nutrition.

Throughout the above new trends of national food consumption and food security, we must re-examine the food and food supply and demand situation from a scientific perspective, and the most important thing is to re-examine food security from a developmental and overall perspective. The so-called perspective of development is to deeply analyze the changes of people's demand for food and food at different stages of development, comply with the new changes in the demand for food consumption of residents, and formulate scientific food development strategies at different stages of development. The so-called overall perspective is to consider food safety in the overall situation of national economic and social development, to plan in the concept of people-oriented governance, and to comprehensively analyze the mutual influence of all related parties. Therefore, the necessity and importance of expanding food security to food security is self-evident.

Innovative measures to ensure food safety

In order to ensure the food safety of our country, we need to take the following measures in the long run. First, strengthen publicity to guide people to establish a scientific concept of food and nutrition, and cultivate more scientific and rational food consumption behavior. Second, we should focus on ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grain and the absolute safety of food rations. While advocating the shift from the concept of food security to the concept of food security, we cannot deny the importance of the original traditional food security, the most important of which is to ensure basic self-sufficiency of grain and absolute safety of food rations, because for a large country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, the problem of food can not be underestimated. The third is to increase the development of animal husbandry and fishery and expand food resources. At present, it is necessary to vigorously develop animal husbandry and fisheries, which play an important role in providing food diversity. Fourth, make overall use of land and resources to ensure the production capacity of food supply. China is rich in land and resources, and systematic planning should be made according to the current situation of different forms of land and resources, such as cultivated land, grasslands, wetlands, forests, rivers, lakes, etc., overall planning, regional layout, and measures to local conditions to ensure food supply capacity in the long run. Fifth, strengthen environmental protection and protect the ecosystem of food supply. Comprehensively sum up China's past experiences and lessons in food and food security, earnestly strengthen ecological protection, proceed from the long-term interests of future generations and the sustainable development of the nation, effectively protect the ecosystem of China's long-term food security. The sixth is to speed up the transformation of government functions and build a sound system, clear responsibilities and efficient operation of food safety administrative management system. On the basis of the existing food and food administrative management and operation system, consideration can be given to setting up a food safety management coordination committee to strengthen the coordination and management of the existing grain-related agriculture and food-related departments, and then merge the organization and integrate functions after full running-in, so as to achieve the purpose of streamlining the organization, improving administrative efficiency and ensuring national food security.

Deeply understand the great significance of the transition from the concept of food security to the concept of food security

"if you have food in your hand, don't panic in your heart." The special importance of food security has a far-reaching impact in China, and has played an important role in ensuring the healthy and sustainable development of our national economy and society in history. However, with the continuous development of the times, a country has different historical tasks in different stages and different development strategies in different periods of development. Only by complying with the development of the times and actively making changes can we ensure that we will always move forward in the right direction. Food security is the basic strategy of a country. in the current situation, we change with the time, and it is of great significance to adjust the concept of food security to the concept of food security. The most important points are as follows: it is helpful for people to establish a scientific concept of food consumption, jump out of the traditional concept of food consumption, comprehensively ensure nutrition intake, and steadily improve people's nutrition level and physical quality; help to improve people's awareness of ecological environmental protection and speed up the construction of ecological civilization It is conducive to fundamentally ensuring food security, under the guidance of the concept of food security, making overall use of land and resources, coordinating the development of food industry, and systematically ensuring the construction of food ecology and environment. Fundamentally and in the long run to protect the food needs of our people in different periods of development; help to promote the transformation of government functions, let food security play its basic and strategic role in national governance. Only by changing the concept, can we have a clear direction of action and work measures, and then rise to the governance of system and system construction, and finally let food safety lay a solid material foundation for the long-term stability and sustainable development of the country.

Therefore, the change from the concept of food security to the concept of food security is not simply to be in line with the international community, but to comply with the new changes in the development of China's food situation and the need and necessity to meet the new needs of national food consumption. This change of concept is not a simple concept transformation, but an overall consideration and overall planning of a large country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, which is related to food supply, ecological security, industrial development, national nutrition and health and quality of life, and coordinated economic and social development. What is needed is not only a change in concept, but also practical action, because food safety is closely related to our lives.