Farming in China is like the period after the US civil war, when the excess labor pool created by emancipation proclamation resulted in each ex-slave getting a mule and 40 acres to farm. The only difference is Chinese farmers don’t get the mule (and fewer acres).  [NOTE: I am in NO way comparing Chinese farmers to slaves.]  There are very few “mega-farms” in China yet because it would require farmers to make huge investments in farm machinery.  Instead, farmers (a couple or a family) will tend a few acres of land.  That means there are MILLIONS of farms in China.

The farms near Shenzhen are dotted between towns and are immediately adjacent to factories.  That’s both good news and bad news – the vegetables are extremely fresh, but the irrigation is a bit suspect.

This first photo is a visual metaphor showing the two options most people in China are presented in life.  They can either farm the land or work in a factory.  Not much in between.