Food security has always been a vital issue for China. And given its population of 1.3 billion, it is even more important today. Most of the debates on the problem concentrate on whether the rate of increase of farm products can catch up with the country's population growth. And it seems to be the right focus.

But there is at least one person who disagrees. Proper research and use of agricultural strategy have a greater role to play in ensuring food security, says Li Changping, director of the China Rural Reconstruction Research Center of Hebei University.

China could face an agricultural crisis if the basic economic system of the countryside is damaged, Li says. The government should stick to the existing system of collective ownership of rural land and the two-tier operation mode, comprising collective management and household responsibility.