PhD defence: Jingyu Zhang

Jingyu Zhang defends her thesis,
'What are the prospects of small-scale farming? Agricultural transition in marginal areas of rural China'

https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/j/65724630558

Supervisor:
Professor Anne Gravsholt Busck, IGN
Associate professor Søren B. P. Kristensen, IGN

Assessment Committee:
Associate professor Karita Khan, The Hong Kong Polytechnical University, CH
Professor Jonathan Rigg, University of Bristol, UK
Associate professor Torben Birch Thomsen (chair), IGN

Abstract (shortened):
Marginal areas of rural China are experiencing a significant shift from traditional small-scale agriculture to large-scale modern agriculture. The agricultural transition, driven by state and local actors, has led to changes in land use, labor regimes, andarmers' livelihoods. The process has raised concerns about the persistence of small-scale farming and the exclusion of smallscale farmers from the transition process. As a result, scholars and policymakers emphasize the need to advance rural economic prosperity while safeguarding farmers' livelihoods. This thesis examines the dynamics of agricultural transition in marginal areas in southwest China, to enhance our understanding of agricultural transition within China's distinct political and economic context. The analysis is framed through the agrarian political economy lens and is compared to similar transitions both within and beyond China. The central research question addressed is: Why and how did small-scale farming undergo a transition in marginal areas of rural China, and what implications does this have for communities and farmers here? To explore this question, the thesis has employed a political economy framework, combining contextualization with qualitative interpretivist methods to analyze agricultural transition in Shizhu County, a marginal rural area in Chongqing municipality, southwest China.

A digital version of the PhD thesis can be obtained from the PhD secretary at phd@ign.ku.dk before the defence. After the defence the thesis will become available from the Royal Danish Library Royal Danish Library | kb.dk