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This speech provides firstly a quick overview of agriculture in China, and then it shares a brief analysis of cotton production under restructuring in a context where the strengthening of agriculture has gained momentum. The very recent measures targeted at strengthening agriculture are assessed through the prism of sustainability, namely the three pillars of social, environmental and economic aspects commonly acknowledged. The contemplated actions to enhance agriculture, with implications for cotton production, look like a set of challenges whose chances of being successfully overcome are appraised through a retrospective analysis of a few achievements related to former challenges. In China, agriculture lacks attractiveness for several decades since economy has been liberalized. Rural families on tiny farms lag behind in terms of income; they suffer from a continuously growing income gap in spite of an increasing share of wages through off‐farm activities. Families have been abandoning farming, making land available to increase the size of remaining farms while stronger labor constraint implies that the mechanization of more cultivation practices has become more crucial than ever. Cotton production, especially in the two traditional production regions of Yellow River Valley and Yangtze River Valley, is particularly touched by the described evolution of agriculture. It has become less and less attractive in front of competing crops, notably cereal crops, for lack of governmental support, for increased costs of labour, of fertilizers as well as of insecticides in spite of, or because of almost twenty years of Bt cotton use. Agricultural policy measures elaborated in March 2016 can be related to each of the three sustainability pillars. More precisely, about half of the measures correspond to one of the three social, environmental and economic dimensions, and the other half falls in between two dimensions. Retrospective analysis of a few innovations like China‐specific technique of transplanting, the widespread use of hybrid cultivars, the evolution of insecticide spraying devices, the development of cultivation machines adapted to moderate scale farming (although breakthrough achievement in mechanized harvesting has yet to come) point out a successful process of recurrent technology development based on a huge scientific and technical network motivated by an important potential market. In the last decades, China has demonstrated its capabilities to overcome technical challenges, but many challenges ahead, related to measures recently announced fall out of the technical sphere (like decentralization of land contract, insurance, credit guaranty…). Organizational and institutional innovations are required; they call upon successful interaction between producers and other stakeholders, be they public or private, and which should differ from top‐down and administratively-oriented procedures. (Texte intégral)

International audience ; China impacts directly upon the world cotton market as it has become a structural importer in spite of its position of first producing country. The adoption of genetically modified cotton (GMC) at large scale led some external observers to anticipate that Chinese production will increase substantially at the expense of to the demand towards structural cotton-exporting countries. Owing to the negotiations within the WTO Doha Round, the perception of the Chinese cotton power has shifted to criticism of its unfair subsidy policy. Both of these views are debatable and suffer from a lack of insight on the evolution of the cotton production in China. The paper is an attemps to document the debate and to fill that gap. Cotton production in China is located is three main regions, along the Yellow River Valley, the Yangse River Valley and in the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region where cotton production has been launched in the '70s. The fate of this production cannot be disconnected from the general features of the Chinese agriculture. The Chinese agriculture is engaged into a period of great mutation. In spite of high yield level, agricultural activities can no longer ensure sufficient income to farmers. Off-farm activities enable farmers' incomes not to lag further behind the ones of the urban households, but agriculture appears to lack attractiveness, rural areas are being emptied of their working forces, the fate of this agriculture within the forthcoming years seems to be under question. Its shift towards provinces located further from the economically dynamic coastal areas would depend upon the implementation of the recent policy destined to correct income disparities, so far at the expense of rural areas. Cotton is being produced according to the high input/high output approach that benefited from the policy to secure against climatic hazards and economic risks through input subsidy and purchase price guarantee. Since its entrance to WTO, China is no longer providing any direct subsidy to ...

International audience ; China impacts directly upon the world cotton market as it has become a structural importer in spite of its position of first producing country. The adoption of genetically modified cotton (GMC) at large scale led some external observers to anticipate that Chinese production will increase substantially at the expense of to the demand towards structural cotton-exporting countries. Owing to the negotiations within the WTO Doha Round, the perception of the Chinese cotton power has shifted to criticism of its unfair subsidy policy. Both of these views are debatable and suffer from a lack of insight on the evolution of the cotton production in China. The paper is an attemps to document the debate and to fill that gap. Cotton production in China is located is three main regions, along the Yellow River Valley, the Yangse River Valley and in the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region where cotton production has been launched in the '70s. The fate of this production cannot be disconnected from the general features of the Chinese agriculture. The Chinese agriculture is engaged into a period of great mutation. In spite of high yield level, agricultural activities can no longer ensure sufficient income to farmers. Off-farm activities enable farmers' incomes not to lag further behind the ones of the urban households, but agriculture appears to lack attractiveness, rural areas are being emptied of their working forces, the fate of this agriculture within the forthcoming years seems to be under question. Its shift towards provinces located further from the economically dynamic coastal areas would depend upon the implementation of the recent policy destined to correct income disparities, so far at the expense of rural areas. Cotton is being produced according to the high input/high output approach that benefited from the policy to secure against climatic hazards and economic risks through input subsidy and purchase price guarantee. Since its entrance to WTO, China is no longer providing any direct subsidy to cotton growers. Production intensification nevertheless keeps on and the use of GMC can be regarded as a further stage of this intensification process. This is a matter of reality worth considering before extrapolating the Chinese success in using GMC to other developing countries. The outcome of the intensification process however is hampered by the lack of collective actions among farmers. The farmers' reluctance in getting involved into collective actions impacts negatively upon the profitability of cotton production and can endanger the sustainable use of GMC through undesirable shift of the cotton pest complex. In the short run, it is doubtful that China could reverse its importing position in the cotton world market. This might sound heartening to the cotton exporting countries but not sufficient to prevent them from engaging into measures to increase its competitiveness through productivity gain. ; La Chine est le premier pays producteur de coton dans le monde mais sa forte consommation la place en position d'importateur structurel. La production chinoise est issue d'une agriculture familiale, avec une sole cotonnière d'environ 0,3 ha par exploitation, dont le niveau d'intensification lui permet d'atteindre l'un des rendements les plus élevés au monde. C'est le résultat d'une volonté politique pendant près d'un demi-siècle, à partir d'une recherche dynamique et d'un soutien aux producteurs à travers subvention aux intrants et garantie de prix d'achat. Dès la veille de l'entrée de la Chine à l'OMC, il n'y a plus de subvention directe aux producteurs de coton et la production cotonnière se poursuit dans une filière de plus en plus libéralisée. Le mode d'intensification persiste en raison du développement du marché des intrants; l'utilisation de variétés de coton génétiquement modifié (CGM) s'inscrit comme une nouvelle étape de l'intensification. L'absence de velléité de coordination pour mener des actions collectives pénalise cependant la rentabilité de la production cotonnière et peut hypothéquer la durabilité de l'utilisation du CGM. Les fortes fluctuations de prix découragent les paysans à s'engager dans une spécialisation cotonnière accrue et elles se répercutent dans une production instable. La Chine devrait rester importatrice nette de coton, surtout dans un contexte de déclin de l'activité agricole.

China is the world's leading cotton producing country, but its high consumption places it as a structural importer. Chinese production comes from family farming, with a cotton sole of approximately 0.3 ha per farm, the level of intensification of which enables it to reach one of the highest yields in the world. This is the result of political will for almost half a century, based on dynamic research and support for producers through input subsidies and a guarantee of purchase prices. On the eve of China's accession to the WTO, there is no direct subsidy to cotton producers and cotton production continues in an increasingly liberalised sector. The method of intensification persists due to the development of the input market; the use of genetically modified cotton (GM) varieties is a further step in intensification. The lack of coordination to take collective action, however, penalises the profitability of cotton production and may jeopardise the sustainability of the use of the CGM. Large price fluctuations discourage peasants from engaging in increased cotton specialisation and are reflected in unstable production. China is expected to remain a net importer of cotton, especially in a context of declining agricultural activity. ; International audience China impacts directly upon the world cotton market as it has become a structural importer in spite of its position of first producing country. The adoption of genetically modified cotton (GMC) at large scale led some external observers to anticipate that Chinese production will increase substantially at the expense of to the demand towards structural cotton-exporting countries. Owing to the negotiations within the WTO Doha Round, the perception of the Chinese cotton power has shifted to criticism of its unfair subsidy policy. Both of these views are debatable and suffer from a lack of insight on the evolution of the cotton production in China. The paper is an attemps to document the debate and to fill that gap. Cotton production in China is located is three main ...

http://www.jpgervais.eac.ulaval.ca/actesAIEA2.pdf ; China is a big country in terms of biotech achievements. It is also a rare country demonstrating crop-differentiated policies in the dissemination of the GMOs. While the release of GMOs is authorized notably for cotton in 1998, it is still prohibited for food crops. In spite of the positive outcomes on cotton, at least in the short run, and of the persisting decrease of the cereal production, the hesitation to release GMO on food crops should keep on prevailing. This seems to be founded when the qualitative dimension of the food production is taken into consideration. ; La Chine est un grand pays dans le domaine des biotechnologies mais c'est aussi l'un des rares pays à manifester une politique différenciée dans la diffusion des OGM en fonction des cultures. Alors que la diffusion est autorisée notamment sur le coton depuis 1998, elle reste encore interdite sur les cultures vivrières. En dépit des résultats positifs obtenus sur le coton, au moins à court terme, et de la persistance de la réduction de la production de céréale, l'hésitation dans l'utilisation des OGM sur les cultures vivrières devrait perdurer, non sans fondement, car la dimension qualitative de la production alimentaire doit être prise en compte.

http://www.jpgervais.eac.ulaval.ca/actesAIEA2.pdf ; China is a big country in terms of biotech achievements. It is also a rare country demonstrating crop-differentiated policies in the dissemination of the GMOs. While the release of GMOs is authorized notably for cotton in 1998, it is still prohibited for food crops. In spite of the positive outcomes on cotton, at least in the short run, and of the persisting decrease of the cereal production, the hesitation to release GMO on food crops should keep on prevailing. This seems to be founded when the qualitative dimension of the food production is taken into consideration. ; La Chine est un grand pays dans le domaine des biotechnologies mais c'est aussi l'un des rares pays à manifester une politique différenciée dans la diffusion des OGM en fonction des cultures. Alors que la diffusion est autorisée notamment sur le coton depuis 1998, elle reste encore interdite sur les cultures vivrières. En dépit des résultats positifs obtenus sur le coton, au moins à court terme, et de la persistance de la réduction de la production de céréale, l'hésitation dans l'utilisation des OGM sur les cultures vivrières devrait perdurer, non sans fondement, car la dimension qualitative de la production alimentaire doit être prise en compte.

Les résultats d'une enquête récente en Chine confirment le succès de l'utilisation de variétés génétiquement modifiées de coton. Cette réussite n'est pas uniquement due aux qualités intrinsèques de ces variétés. Elle provient d'un ensemble favorable de facteurs techniques et économiques et surtout à des règles de diffusion très différentes de celles imposées dans les autres pays.

La Chine est le premier pays producteur de coton dans le monde mais sa forte consommation la place en position d'importateur structurel. La production chinoise est issue d'une agriculture familiale, avec une sole cotonnière d'environ 0,3 hectare par exploitation, dont le niveau d'intensification lui permet d'atteindre l'un des rendements les plus élevés au monde. C'est le résultat d'une volonté politique pendant près d'un demi-siècle, à partir d'une recherche dynamique et d'un soutien aux producteurs à travers subvention aux intrants et garantie de prix d'achat. Dès la veille de l'entrée de la Chine à l'OMC, il n'y a plus de subvention directe aux producteurs de coton et la production cotonnière se poursuit dans une filière de plus en plus libéralisée. Le mode d'intensification persiste en raison du développement du marché des intrants; l'utilisation de variétés de coton génétiquement modifié (CGM) s'inscrit comme une nouvelle étape de l'intensification. L'absence de velléité de coordination pour mener des actions collectives pénalise cependant la rentabilité de la production cotonnière et peut hypothéquer la durabilité de l'utilisation du CGM. Les fortes fluctuations de prix découragent les paysans à s'engager dans une spécialisation cotonnière accrue et elles se répercutent dans une production instable. La Chine devrait rester importatrice nette de coton, surtout dans un contexte de déclin de l'activité agricole.

reproduction du texte dans une revue anglaise en fin 2008 ; In order to analyze the impacts of Bt cotton on the farmers' livelihood system, we interviewed 169 farmers and extension personnel in the main cotton production areas in Hebei province in the year 2002 and 2003. An integrative method was used in which a multidisciplinary approach was employed including agronomy, economics and sociology. The results showed that the application of Bt cotton increased the cotton growing area as well as farmers' income. For 67% of the farmers interviewed, cotton area has been continuously increasing since 1997. The cotton net margin in one cropping cycle came out to be higher than the combined net margins of wheat and corn in two cropping cycles. The income from cotton played a significant role in the investment to education, leisure and health care. The socio-economic impacts of cotton production are nevertheless not yet optimal because there were still many factors limiting them. Lack of labor and land were the main limiting factors. Productivity is restrained by the high price of Bt cotton seeds which pushed farmers to keep seeds from their own cotton production (42% of the farmers in 2002 and 2003). Farmers are still lacking technical command in using Bt-cotton: 78% of the farmers admitted that while more than 94% of the farmers complained not getting information from local extension and technical services. More success in using Bt-cotton calls upon going beyond providing seeds and asks for continuous assistance from research and extension department, notably to achieve a full knowledge of the Bt-cotton characteristic so as to optimally integrate it into the farmers' system. ; Dans le but d'analyser les impacts du coton-Bt sur la viabilité du système de production paysanne, nous avons interviewé 169 paysans ainsi que le personnel de vulgarisation dans la principale zone de production cotonnière de la province du Hebei au cours des campagnes 2002 et 2003. Une méthode intégrée a été utilisée en suivant une approche ...

reproduction du texte dans une revue anglaise en fin 2008 ; In order to analyze the impacts of Bt cotton on the farmers' livelihood system, we interviewed 169 farmers and extension personnel in the main cotton production areas in Hebei province in the year 2002 and 2003. An integrative method was used in which a multidisciplinary approach was employed including agronomy, economics and sociology. The results showed that the application of Bt cotton increased the cotton growing area as well as farmers' income. For 67% of the farmers interviewed, cotton area has been continuously increasing since 1997. The cotton net margin in one cropping cycle came out to be higher than the combined net margins of wheat and corn in two cropping cycles. The income from cotton played a significant role in the investment to education, leisure and health care. The socio-economic impacts of cotton production are nevertheless not yet optimal because there were still many factors limiting them. Lack of labor and land were the main limiting factors. Productivity is restrained by the high price of Bt cotton seeds which pushed farmers to keep seeds from their own cotton production (42% of the farmers in 2002 and 2003). Farmers are still lacking technical command in using Bt-cotton: 78% of the farmers admitted that while more than 94% of the farmers complained not getting information from local extension and technical services. More success in using Bt-cotton calls upon going beyond providing seeds and asks for continuous assistance from research and extension department, notably to achieve a full knowledge of the Bt-cotton characteristic so as to optimally integrate it into the farmers' system. ; Dans le but d'analyser les impacts du coton-Bt sur la viabilité du système de production paysanne, nous avons interviewé 169 paysans ainsi que le personnel de vulgarisation dans la principale zone de production cotonnière de la province du Hebei au cours des campagnes 2002 et 2003. Une méthode intégrée a été utilisée en suivant une approche multidisciplinaire associant agronomie, économie et sociologie. Les résultats montrent que le coton-Bt a fait augmenter les surfaces cotonnières ainsi que les revenus. Pour 67% des paysans enquêtés indiquent avoir continuellement augmenté la surface consacrée depuis 1997. Le revenu du coton, en un seul cycle se révèle supérieur au revenu combiné d'un cycle de blé et d'un cycle de maïs. Le revenu issu du coton joue un rôle significatif en faveur de l'investissement pour l'éducation, loisir et soins médicaux. Les impacts socio-économiques ne sont néanmoins pas optimaux car ils sont encore limités par divers facteurs. Le manque de main-d'œuvre et de terre en sont les principaux. La productivité est réduite par le prix élevé des semences de coton-Bt ce qui pousse les paysans à utiliser les semences de leur propre production (cas de 42% des paysans en 2002 et 2003). Les paysans manquent encore de maîtrise technique dans l'utilisation du coton-Bt : 78% des paysans l'admettent alors que 94% d'entre eux se plaignent ne pas obtenir d'information de la part des services techniques ou de vulgarisation. Un plus grand succès dans l'utilisation du coton-Bt suppose d'aller au-delà de la simple fourniture de semences et il interpelle pour une assistance continue en R&D, notamment pour parvenir à une connaissance complète des caractéristiques du coton-Bt pour pouvoir l'intégrer de manière optimale dans le système de production du paysan.