Sustainable Agriculture for Environment Protection: Results of Six Years of Cooperation between China and Italy

Abstract

The importance of a shift toward agricultural systems, which are more complex in terms of biodiversity in emerging countries such as China, where most of the population (about 60%) lives in rural areas, in poor conditions and still relies on agriculture as the main source of income, is discussed. In China the problems caused by shifting to more intensive and polluting agricultural production patterns to address the demand for food of the growing population and by the need of higher incomes of rural communities are serious. The experience gained in the framework of the Sino-Italian Cooperation Program for Environment Protection jointly launched by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory (IMET) and the State Environment Protection Administration of China (SEPA) in the year 2000, through the implementation of several cooperation projects in different rural areas of China is critically discussed.