Bonus. The futures of China's countryside (Part 2)

Feed: a food systems podcast

Feed: a food systems podcast
Bonus. The futures of China's countryside (Part 2)
Jul 09, 2026
TABLEdebates.org

China's countryside isn't heading toward one future. Sociologist Forrest Zhang walks us through four different scenarios: suburbanizing villages turned tourist destinations, industrial-scale grain belts managed by smart phones, intensive vegetable farms facing a looming labor crisis, and aging villagers returning to subsistence farming. We explore the shift from socialist to capitalist agriculture, and ask whether the next era may take a "sustainability turn,” a door opened by a shrinking population, food oversupply, and a rising public health crisis.

For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode104

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Listen to China's Food Future (Part 1).

Guest

  • Prof Qian Forrest Zhang, Singapore Management University

Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.