Assessing China’s Grain Self-Sufficiency Through National and Provincial Production Dynamics: Implications for Food Security and SDG-2

To better contribute to global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-2, China has been dedicating efforts to developing its capability for ensuring food self-sufficiency and security through a variety of constructive strategies, i.e., legislative cropland protection, sustainable grain production and innovative agricultural technology. As such, the overall objective of this research was to demonstrate China’s situation and performance in developing food self-sufficiency, challenges and opportunities for improving the food security, as well as potential contributions to global progress towards SDG-2. The results demonstrated that maize exhibited the largest sown area and total yield over the past two decades, while rice maintained the highest per unit area yield. Regionally, the Northeast Plain dominated per capita production for maize and soybean (i.e., approximately 220 kg/person for soybean in Heilongjiang), whereas the North China Plain led in wheat production capacities. Despite a stable domestic staple food supply facilitated by robust agricultural policies (i.e., the minimum purchase price policy and high-standard farmland construction), dynamic shifts in dietary patterns and extreme climate events triggered a significant surge in maize and soybean imports between 2019 and 2021. These findings conclude that while China has established a highly resilient foundation for staple grain self-sufficiency, addressing the escalating demand for feed grains through targeted regional optimizations and agricultural innovations remains critical for sustainably fulfilling the targets of global SDG-2.