According to China Review News, several media reported that China’s total grain production in the summer of 2010 showed a 0.3% decrease from last year, because the good laborers have migrated to the cities. China Review News observed that the pay for basic labor jobs in cities is much higher than for agricultural work. Therefore many young and strong farmers have migrated to the cities, leaving only the old, the weak, women, and kids at the farms. Also, the low education level in villages makes it hard to adopt mechanization in farmlands, even though it could be a way to make up for the loss of strong laborers.
Source: China Review News, August 2, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1013/9/9/7/101399784.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=101399784&mdate=0802073818