This paper examines the role of Chinese Ecological Agriculture (CEA) in Zhejiang province as an alternative to conventional agricultural practices. In the past twenty years, the Chinese agricultural sector has begun to use increasing levels of agricultural chemicals and machinery. In spite of limited increases in agricultural productivity, current practices are having a negative impact on the environment and undermining China's natural resource base. CEA has been proposed as an alternative, sustainable agricultural system and has been implemented in several communities in Zhejiang province. In spite of limited success in demonstration communities, CEA has not been widely accepted. The characteristics of CEA that make it sustainable, such as localizing production, utilizing human labor, and applying organic fertilizers, are in direct competition with national economic development efforts. China's current path of rural economic development is not only contributing to environmental degradation, but also creating conditions that exclude more sustainable agricultural systems.
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