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Explora: Environment
and Resource The Tartary buckwheat industry

of land transfer and urbanization, the trend of farmers great achievements in the conservation and management
withdrawing from agriculture is expected to continue, of agricultural heritage systems over the past 10 years.
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profoundly altering the agricultural landscape in these At the same time, many scholars and social actors
mountainous areas, a change that will be difficult to reverse. are working to position smallholder farmers as the
This shift is primarily driven by evolving socioeconomic cornerstone of development by promoting alternative
conditions in contemporary China, including changes models, such as People’s Food Sovereignty, Participatory
in production organization, land policies, labor markets, Breeding, and Nested Markets. However, more scholars
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and distribution relations. Ultimately, the cultural and and development programs have focused only on
agricultural landscapes reflect the design of the agricultural market-oriented industrial development and the role of
mode of production. traditional cultural excavation in preserving traditional
In the industrialization of buckwheat tea, dragon-headed farming systems, but have seldom addressed the question
enterprises have taken center stage in the development, of who truly benefits from these development programs.
supported by the government. The government aims to This study argues that to ensure more benefits remain with
leverage these enterprises to facilitate sales of agricultural local farmers, it is crucial to organize them into diversified
products, allowing farmers to indirectly participate in agricultural production and use local resources to develop
the market and increase their income. However, while agro-processing industries within local communities,
these companies benefit significantly from low-cost raw rather than reducing farmers to mere suppliers of raw
materials and the utilization of local cultural resources materials to the agri-food system. In fact, the practical
to achieve substantial profits in the health food market, experience from China’s collective farming period can
farmers do not share in these market gains. Instead, they provide valuable insights into this farmer-cooperative
often receive insufficient compensation for their labor in approach to development.
supplying raw materials and must bear production risks
on their own. This development model has failed to meet Acknowledgments
the government’s objective of “bringing farmers into None.
development.” Enterprises exploit farmers’ surplus labor
through market exchange, leading to capital accumulation Funding
at the farmers’ expense and widening the wealth gap. This study was funded by the Humanities and Social
Although government support has alleviated some burdens Sciences Research Project of Guizhou Colleges and
on farmers through road construction and agricultural Universities (2023GZGXRW160).
subsidies, the intention to bridge the rich-poor divide
through this secondary distribution often only reinforces Conflict of interest
farmers’ subordinate status.
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
Industrialized agriculture in the mountainous regions
of Southwest China has also had a significant impact on the Author contributions
sustainability of the local food system, reducing the ability
of local farmers to adapt to climate change and market risk, Conceptualization: Ruan Chiyin
and weakening the ability of communities to self-organize. Investigation: Ruan Chiyin
In the long run, this shift could have serious implications Methodology: Ruan Chiyin
for agrobiodiversity and national food security. Moving Writing – original draft: Ruan Chiyin
forward, many scholars and social organizations should Writing – review & editing: Zhang Jiaxin, Xiang Yuanyuan
focus on utilizing and restoring the food and cultural Ethics approval and consent to participate
diversity of different regions while redesigning sustainable
agricultural production systems. Not applicable.
Agricultural heritage systems (e.g., globally important Consent for publication
agricultural heritage systems) are considered dynamic
and adaptive living systems that embody values of Not applicable.
multifunctionality and sustainability. As a result, the Availability of data
34
traditional agricultural management of indigenous crop
varieties has gained increased attention worldwide for Data are available from the corresponding author upon
its role in sustainable agriculture. China has also made reasonable request.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 7 doi: 10.36922/eer.5696