After more than 25 years of reforms and development, China has achieved great success in economic growth and poverty reduction. As the Chinese economy continues to grow rapidly (more than 9 percent in 2004), new opportunities as well as challenges are emerging: regional income inequalities, land and water scarcity and environmental degradation, impact of the WTO and the rapid rise of supermarkets on rural smallholders, and diet change and the rise of nutrition-related diseases.
In 2004 and 2005, the Chinese government announced that sustaining strong economic growth would remain a priority, but that a more balanced and equitable development agenda would be adopted. Raising farmers' incomes and improving agricultural production capacity would receive a high priority.