Research On The Operational Mechanism And Developmental Modes Of The Agricultural Standardization Demonstration Zone

Agricultural standardization demonstration zone is an important carrier and effective form to implement agricultural standardization. From the first batch of agricultural standardization demonstration projects in 1996 to the eighth batch of agricultural demonstration zones in 2014 deployed by the former Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of the People’s Republic of China 6358 agricultural demonstration zones in 31 provinces(cities or municipalities)were established in nearly 20 years. These agricultural demonstration zones promoted the implementation of agricultural standards and improved the quality and safety levels of agricultural products. The awareness of agricultural standardization was raised in the whole society and the good economic, social and ecological benefits were produced. However, as the agricultural demonstration zone is a new and immature thing with strong vitality, we must grasp the internal development law and theoretically analyse its operating mechanism. The successful development models should be summarized in practiceand the achived comprehensive benefits should be evaluated to find out the existent problems and propose relevant policy suggestions.Based on the analysis of theories including sustainable agricultural development theory, transforming traditional agriculture theory and system theory, externality theory and growth pole theory, the paper formed a theoretical framework of the construction of agricultural standardization demonstration zones. It took the coordinated development of agricultural economics and ecology as the basic guiding ideology and followed the path of government investing in infrastructure and the market allocating the production factors to build a system supporting the agricultural standardization demonstration zones and achieve the goal of constructing agricultural standardization.The paper analysed the progress and practices of agricultural demonstration zones from Macro-dynamic point of view. In the empirical aspect, the paper analyzed six core mechanisms including the dynamic mechanism of implementing agricultural standardization, policy supporting mechanism, investment and financing mechanism, technology supporting mechanism, cultivating new agricultural business entities mechanism and the agricultural product quality safety guarantee mechanism in the view of improving operational efficiency of agricultural standardization, achieving the main function of the agricultural standardization demonstration zone and ensuring the normal operation and building a virtuous cycle in the demonstration zone. The thorough analysis was carried on about theory of economics and management, operation mechanism, operation connotation and the construction content. And then, combining the analysis framework of the six mechanisms, the paper analyzed four typical developmental modes of agriculture standardization demonstration zone, which includes grain production driving mode in main grain product areas, urban modern agriculture driving mode in suburban of large and medium-sized cities, special agricultural products industrial base driving mode and large-scale farms driving mode. At the same time, it pointed out the scope of every mode’s application and the reference and enlightenment were discussed for developing agriculturestandardization in other agricultural standardization demonstration zones. In order to objectively evaluate the comprehensive benefits achieved by agricultural standardization demonstration zones, the paper built an evaluation index system and took Changde agricultural standardization demonstration zone in Hunan Province as an example. By the method of factor analysis, it measured comprehensive benefits of the city’s seven counties and one district based on the statistical data from 2010 to 2013.Main results are obtained as following: the performance of agricultural standardization demonstration zone is significant but there are many problems. It found some obvious effects in accelerating the transfer and application of achievements in agricultural science and technology, enhancing the market competitiveness of agricultural products, improving the agricultural social service system and improving the ecological environment in rural areas. But there were problems including the lack of policy support, capital investment and technical personnel, farmers’ low awareness of agricultural standardization and poor infrastructure. Some mechanisms must be built up such as investment and financing mechanism, technology support mechanism, new agricultural business entities foster mechanisms and policy support mechanisms for agricultural products quality and safety mechanism to activate land, capital, science and technology, personnel and other factors in agricultural demonstration zones inside and outside the exchange flow and effective allocation, promote the development of agricultural demonstration zones and effectively guarantee the quality and safety of agricultural products;The indicators including the degree of organization of farmers, agricultural science and technology application, farmer awareness of ecological civilization, the total agricultural output, the income of farmers and farmers’ awareness of standardized have greater impact on the result. Based on the analysis above, it put forwards some policy proposals, which mainly started from clearing aims of the development of agricultural standardization demonstration zone; taking the characteristics of regional and industrial development of agricultural standardization into consideration; broadening the investment and financing channels; increasing the support to develop the quality and safety of agricultural products; establishing the high standardization of agricultural extension system; strengthening the standardization of agricultural talents cultivation and establishing a new agricultural social service system. Integrating urban and rural resources and establishing new agricultural social service system.