Riding on self-sufficiency: Grain policy and the rise of agrarian capital in China

•This paper examines the impact of the policies for grain self-sufficiency on rural transformation in China.•It argues that Chinese grain policy has fueled the rise of agrarian capital in the past 20 years.•It shows that the policy for grain self-sufficiency has placed small farming households in disadvantage.•It offers an alternative perspective on the rise of agrarian capitalism in China.

Rapid expansion of agrarian capitalism in China has commanded much attention. This paper situates the rise of agrarian capital in the context of fear regarding “Who will feed China?”, demonstrating how the pursuit of grain self-sufficiency in the country has fueled the expansion of agribusiness enterprises and large farms. The policies to increase grain production, including the grain crop subsidy program, the incentive scheme for grain-producing regions, and the policy of nurturing new agricultural units, provide favorable conditions for agrarian capital of both domestic and foreign origins to take root and expand. As a result, the emphasis on self-sufficiency has strengthened the alliance between the state and large capital, and placed small farming households at a disadvantage. The paper draws attention to the interconnections between food politics and rural transformation, and offers an alternative perspective on agrarian capitalism in China.