| Nowadays, urbanization level has virtually become a synonym for state or regional modernization, and the ultimate purpose sought by various levels of local government in China along with GDP. However, problems constantly arise from urbanization development. First of all, urban expansion inevitably takes up large patches of suburban lands, straining China's limited farmlands and endangering the agricultural production. Moreover, the changes in urban space structures deteriorate the cities'ecological environment. In addition, the unequal income distribution causes rural labor forces to move to other sectors, worsening the problem of labor shortage in agriculture.Urban agriculture originates in urbanization and can better deal with problems in urbanization and agricultural development. For one thing, it can provide fresh farm and sideline products, and meet urban citizens' material needs to a maximum degree. For another, it makes a green and beautiful environment of cities and raises citizens' quality of living. Thirdly, it creates additional recreational places for citizens and increases tourist revenue. Fourthly, it can make use of its advantages in finance, technologies and talented personnel so as to quickly approach or reach the international standards in agricultural infrastructure and high-tech uses, which will accumulate experiences for generalizing to other areas.Based on critical review of domestic and foreign literature, this research uses both theoretical analyses and empirical studies, with quantitative and qualitative research methods coordinating with each other, and applies SWOT analysis(Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,Threats), analytic hierarchy process model(AHP), and data envelopment analysis(DEA) approaches in the study of the urban agricultural development in Zhengzhou. Focusing on the actual situation in Zhengzhou, the research first analyzes the status quo concerning its urban agricultural development, and probes into its future potentials, so that development trends and strategies can be proposed at last.The paper can be divided into the following parts. First, a clear and definite definition of urban agriculture is reached through intense and critical review of domestic and foreign literature, i.e. a modern type of agriculture with economy, society, cultures and ecological environment all in one, which is set within cities or at the surrounding areas, and utilizes advanced management methods and agriculture high-techs of cities, and provides farm and sideline products and tourist services for cities. Second, combining the theoretical analyses with the status quo of Zhengzhou, the research makes a SWOT analysis of its urban agricultural development. Then, a urban agricultural evaluation system is proposed to assess the urban agricultural development by using AHP model and DEA method, thus electing the suitable urban agricultural development mode for Zhengzhou.From the research, it is proved that Zhengzhou's urban agriculture has gone beyond the preliminary realization stage and reached the starting line of next stage of development. However, there is still a long way to fully develop Zhengzhou's urban agriculture and much room for improvements in many facets. The researcher argues for a three-layered approach, i.e. a balanced approach in economy, society and ecology with the inner layer focusing on installment agriculture and products processing agriculture and building public green spaces, the middle layer focusing on farm and sideline product production, the outer layer focusing on ecological agriculture and environment protection.The research has its innovation in its using a combined approach of an analytic hierarchy process model and data envelopment analysis in the empirical study, which makes objective and comprehensive findings with being fully aware of the development trend and using empirical study to test the hypotheses. Nevertheless, the evaluation index system proposed in the research may not be ideally representative and practical, and still much further researches are needed to establish an econometric model of all the factors affecting urban agriculture development. |
