ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the development of farmer cooperatives in China and analyzes the farmer cooperatives in the costal areas in China based on the case study of Zhejiang. According to the statistics of China Agriculture Ministry, the number of farmer cooperatives and agricultural products associations in China is over 150,000, and the number of comparatively standardized cooperatives is over 140,000. Most cooperatives are of small scale, loose structure, non-standardized management, and weak market competitiveness. As a developing country in East Asia, China’s agricultural economy develops in a totally different environment than European and American countries. Farmland fragmentation is a big obstacle to the development of China’s agriculture. It prevents the use of agricultural machines, decreases production efficiency, and consequently hinders agricultural modernization. Creative cooperative entrepreneurs are usually from a rural social and economic background. They are usually the “rural elite” with a cooperative consciousness and knowledge.
