Despite China’s impressive progress in reducing poverty, hunger, and nutrition over the past four decades, challenges remain, especially in rural areas. More than 3 percent of rural residents live under the poverty line ($1.9 a day), while 12 percent of rural children under five are stunted. Stunting has far-reaching ramifications, affecting children’s cognitive and physical development and decreasing their productivity. “To revitalize agriculture and rural areas in China, we must start investing in nourishing rural children,” IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan said during the Rural Vitalization and Modernization session at the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 24.
