Highlights:

• China’s farming system research still faces great challenges.

• Sustainable intensification is promising option for China’s farming system.

• Intensification and sustainability are neither opposing nor complementary.

• Coordination of intensification and sustainability is important for food and environment security.

• Favorable agro-policies, investment, and technology promote China’s farming system development.

Abstract:

A farming system is a comprehensive technology system affecting agricultural production and its long-term development. Efficient farming systems can fully exploit and utilize limited resources, promote the all-round development of agriculture, and ensure the continuous increase of crop production. Here, we reviewed the development stages and characteristics of the farming system research in China, and identified the opportunities and challenges in the future. Since the 1950s, China’s farming system research has experienced three stages: slow starting, boosting, and exploring sustainable development. The latest stage explores ways to combine agricultural intensification and sustainability to satisfy the increasing demands for food and the importance of environmental protection. It is highlighted that the link between intensification and sustainability is not entirely opposition or complementary. Sustainable intensification is a viable farming system that meets China’s present and future needs. To foster a collaborative and mutually beneficial approach, principles of sustainable intensification should be adhered to, i.e., the interaction between intensification and sustainability, strengthening the macro-investment in agriculture, and optimizing the structure and function of the farming system regarding the time and local conditions. Therefore, it is important to coordinate the relationship between intensification and sustainability at an appropriate scale to improve the function of farming systems.