Diets have changed in China—and so too has its top crop. Since 2011, the country (grow) more corn than rice. Corn production has jumped nearly 125 percent over past 25 years, while rice has increased only 7 percent.
A taste for meat is (actual) behind the change: An important part of its corn is used to feed chickens, pigs, and cattle. Another reason for corn's rise: The government encourages farmers to grow corn instead of rice (improve) water quality. Corn uses 5 (little) water than rice and creates less fertilizer (化肥) run-off. This switch has decreased (pollute) in the country's major lakes and reservoirs and made drinking water safer for people.
According to the World Bank, China accounts about 30 percent of total global fertilizer consumption. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture finds that between 2005—when the government (start) a soil-testing program gives specific fertilizer recommendations to farmers—and 2011, fertilizer use dropped by 7. 7 million tons. That prevented the emission of 51. 8 million tons of carbon dioxide. "China's approach to protecting its environment while (feed) its citizens offers useful lessons for agriculture and food policy makers worldwide, " says the bank's Juergen Voegele.
