Peri-urban agricultural development in Beijing: Varied forms, innovative practices and policy implications

•Peri-urban agriculture has varied forms in peri-urban Beijing, based on local innovations.•Growth of peri-urban agriculture is active responses of agriculture to urban development.•Process and vitality of urban agriculture in per-urban Beijing are analyzed.•Peri-urban agriculture has strong policy implications to integrated urban-rural development.•Sectoral and planning policies for peri-urban agriculture are discussed.

Agriculture in peri-urban areas is prone to dynamic changes due to urban influences. Previous studies have explored the impact of urban growth on peri-urban agriculture (PUA), but the active responses of the agricultural sector are rarely examined. This paper investigates recent agricultural development practices in peri-urban Beijing and explores approaches to agricultural transformation in the rapid process of urbanisation. The investigation finds that high-tech precision agriculture, down-stream processing and agro-tourism have emerged as major forms of PUA in Beijing. It also uncovers that the PUA developments are not only economically appealing, but also socially inclusive and environmental friendly. The findings contribute to a better understanding of PUA progress in China. The paper suggests policy implications in facilitating integrated development between urban and rural sectors, which would help improve economic development, spatial planning and local governance in peri-urban areas.