Abstract: The amount of arable land per person in China is only about 40% of the global average. In the next two decades, the country will need to produce 30–50% more food to meet the demand of its growing population. It’s a daunting task for an agricultural sector that has long been plagued by pest infestation, crop diseases, soil pollution and degradation, water shortage and labour efflux—which will be exacerbated by climate change.