Beyond Survival: Young Farmers, Resistance, and the Plural Politics of Ecological Agriculture in Rural China

Abstract

The traditional development paradigm has faced extensive criticism over the past decades for being dominated by city-centered, economy-centered, and capital-centered discourses, systematically marginalizing rural populations, and neglecting their agency. Addressing this critique, this article explores the plurality of post-development practices among young farmers in China through detailed case studies from F Province. Specifically, it investigates how these young farmers critically engage in ecological agriculture, navigate complex rural-urban power dynamics, and actively contest dominant narratives of agricultural modernization embedded in state and corporate agendas.

Building on this context, this study further examines the motivations, challenges, and adaptive strategies of young farmers. Contrary to the portrayal of traditional farmers as passive actors subject to agrarian policies, young farmers are actively subverting neoliberal agricultural restructuring through intentional practices that integrate digital technologies, alternative food networks, localized sustainability efforts, and health-oriented self-care practices. Their involvement in ecological farming transcends mere economic survival, reflecting instead a deliberate political stance against neoliberal logics and exposing contradictions within China's rural revitalization discourse.

To further unpack these dynamics, the study identifies three critical dimensions underpinning young farmers' ecological engagement. First, a market-oriented dimension, where farmers strategically deploy digital platforms, social media, and branding tactics to negotiate visibility and autonomy within markets dominated by agro-industrial corporations. Second, a values-oriented dimension, where ecological farming becomes a political and ethical statement aligned with global food sovereignty and sustainability movements. Third, a policy-oriented dimension, through which young farmers tactically engage with state-led rural development schemes, negotiate subsidies, and organize cooperatively to secure land rights and economic resources against exclusionary pressures.

The findings underscore that young farmers in China constitute a significant yet subtle form of resistance against the dominant agro-industrial regime, resonating strongly with critical agrarian studies' discourse on pluralism and everyday politics. Instead of overt confrontations or organized activism, their resistance emerges through everyday practices – prioritizing localized food production, drastically reducing chemical inputs, and cultivating alternative direct producer-consumer linkages. Furthermore, young farmers embrace modernized agricultural management techniques, employing digital collaboration to challenge corporate dominance, while simultaneously embedding sustainability discourses and therapeutic self-care practices into their market strategies. This approach transcends economic calculation, embodying an explicit critique of capitalist market logic and offering an alternative agrarian imaginary deeply informed by aspirations for rural tranquility and spiritual fulfillment, notably including Buddhist worldviews. Such practices collectively represent a counter- narrative to state-led modernization and corporate agricultural hegemony.

In conclusion, this study foregrounds the politically nuanced ways that young smallholders in China are resisting, negotiating, and redefining agrarian futures beyond state and corporate- driven modernizations. Through everyday political engagements, digital innovations, ecological commitments, and culturally embedded self-care practices, these young farmers present concrete alternatives to neoliberal agricultural models, revealing pathways towards emancipatory rural transformations. Ultimately, this research contributes significantly to critical agrarian scholarship by elucidating how pluralistic practices at the grassroots level contest dominant agricultural paradigms and meaningfully advance the critical project of post-development.

Bio

Wu Dongwei is a Ph.D. candidate in International Development Policy and Governance at China Agricultural University. His research focuses on rural studies in the Global South, particularly the role of young professional farmers in rural transformation. He is eager to deepen his understanding of global agrarian studies, refine his research skills, and engage in meaningful exchanges with international scholars who share an interest in rural development.

The applicant has participated in field studies on new professional farmers through rural development projects such as "Rural CEO" and "Leading Goose" in China, gaining firsthand insights into the evolving role of farmers in rural economies. His academic work has been presented at the Critical Agrarian Studies in the 21st Century in 2023 and the policy recommendations have received recognition from China's International Department of the Central Committee. With an IELTS score of 7.5, he has developed the ability to engage in academic discussions and collaborations at an international level.