N. Farm Mechanization in China 1952-1980

The most serious problems that China faces today are the large population and the ability to feed that increasing population. At the beginning of 1989 the population was 1,096,000,000, up 16,000,000 over January 1988. This increase is equal to the entire population of Australia. The dip in the birthrate in 1959 is during The Great Cultural Revolution. The dip in the birthrate from 1969 on, parallels the beginning of strict enforcement of the birth control policy of one-child per family.

The Chinese Communist Party is very concerned with food production. Because of this concern China has made improvements in farm and crop production and has invested heavily in farm machinery production. Looking at this table you will see a listing of "big and medium tractors". Most of the "big and medium tractors" are used to transport farm goods to the market. This has allowed the farmers to market their goods to wider areas and increase their income. It has also made more food available to the urban sector. The walking tractors are used in the fields to plow, although water buffaloes are still extensively used for that purpose in the wet areas.