The Study Of Grain Security Policy Paradigm Shift In China

Grain security, closely related to social stability, is the main part of the national security system. China is a developing country with the largest population in the world, but only accounted for 7% of the world’s total area of cultivated land. With so little arable land, so many people to feed, grain security problem is persistent. There had been very serious famines in our history, therefore, whether government, academia, or populace should have the awareness of grain security, pay attention to grain security problem. It is because the great importance of grain security issues that triggered a boom in the academic study of grain security policies.Starting with land reform, China grain security policy has spanned a different period of political and economic environment since the foundation of new China. Experienced 50 years of evolution, it is inseparable with each national significant reform. Grain security policy is fundamental and important, it can adjust the state of national grain supply and demand, decide the basic living conditions of populace, affect the sustainable development of agriculture. The academic researches on grain security policies are mostly focused on the grain supply and demand, grain trade, while little analysis on the whole grain management is performed. This paper takes the policy paradigm perspective as a starting point, elaborates the evolution process of grain security policy in china. Since the foundation of new China, grain security policy has distinct stage features in each period. From 1949 to 2006, the changes of the grain security policy paradigm in China can be divided into the following three stages:The first stage is the "basic survival type" paradigm. The time span is from 1949 to 1952. During this period, China has just experienced turbulent war era, population increased suddenly, relationship between grain supply and demand was tensed. International view on China’s development was not optimistic, domestic economic development lagged behind, under this circumstance, with putting agriculture in the first place as the concept of policy making, increasing production as the policy target, Chinese government carried out land reform and farmers mutual cooperation movement, in order to restore agricultural development, grain production, to meet the basic food needs of the people and solve the problem of grain and clothing.The second stage is the "insurance industry production" paradigm. The time span is from 1953 to 1977. At this stage, facing the western political isolation and economic blockade, Chinese government recognized that they could only get rid of the difficulties and move towards the direction of industrial powers by developing economics and industry. Focused on industry as the concept for policy formulation, with providing the funds for the industrial development as goals of policy, therefore, the government takes the people’s commune, commissariat state monopoly for purchase and marketing as policy tools, strive to develop agriculture, extract of surplus agricultural to provide the economic basis for the development of the industry.The third stage is “Consumption and production at the same time" paradigm. The time span is from 1978 to 2006. During this period, the national industrialization development was on track, the economic reform began to take place, the development of agriculture stepped into the modern stage. By making reform as policy concept, with adjust the interests of farmers as the policy target, the government used agricultural family management system, the agricultural science and technology policy as tools, to promote the modernization of agriculture. After 2006, the new food security policy has some new trends, has reflected from grain production, grain storage and food security these three aspects, gradually our grain security policies has returned to the essential connotation of the "grain security", the center of gravity on the health and stability of grain consumption. But these changes could rise to the level of paradigm shift, has yet to be analyzed.The above paradigm must pass through the process of forming, shaking and shifting. "The basic survival type" paradigm has been misfits the national industrialization development strategy, with the need to solve the problem, "the insurance industry production" paradigm emerged at the right time. With the development of reform and opening-up, policy tools of "insurance industry production” paradigm played less role, coupled with the damage of farmers direct interest caused by ten years " Cultural Revolution " of turmoil and " left " ideological line, which led to potential grain safety crisis, therefore government needed to reform grain security policy, " Consumption and production " paradigm was born at the same time. “Consumption and production" paradigm that was inseparable from the reform of economic system in China, with the goal to develop modern agriculture, is constantly improved and perfected. Latter paradigm is the inheritance, reform and innovation of the former and the paradigms are progressive. In the future, our country will construct a realistic, scientific decision-making, standard implemented, and reasonable decentralized line of grain security policy paradigm.