China has outlined its latest effort to ensure food security, with a road map to broaden food production beyond traditional farmlands and crops amid mounting pressure to feed 1.4 billion people with conventional resources.
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The State Council issued a directive to establish a diversified food supply system that combines agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, as well as plants, animals and microorganisms by 2027 to increase self-reliance.
President Xi Jinping’s “all-encompassing approach to food” idea has repeatedly appeared in official narrative amid an increasing sense of insecurity in food supply due to geopolitical risks, trade tensions and climate change.
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The directive issued on Sunday vowed to achieve a “sound and complete food industry chain” and “abundant and diverse foods” by developing new varieties, exploring alternative biological resources and promoting technological innovation.
More alternatives should come from forest-based food industries, grass-fed livestock farming and deep-sea aquaculture, according to the directive.
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