Assessment of the overall arrangement of urban modern agriculture industry in Beijing using location quotient technique

Based on location quotient technique, we analyzed the comparative advantages of agricultural sub-sectors of Beijing municipality over surrounding provinces, and those among 18 districts and counties of Beijing. The appropriate industrial composition of urban modern agriculture for Beijing municipality was advanced. The research results indicate no significant comparative advantage of agriculture industry of Beijing over other surrounding provinces; no advantage for crop and fish culture; but there is a significant advantage for forestry and animal husbandry. Among the districts and counties of Beijing, agriculture still has a higher proportion in local industrial economics of Yanqing, Miyun, Pinggu, Daxing, Tongzhou, Shunyi and Fangshan. For the inner structure of agriculture, crop production is higher in Fengtai, Daxing, Pinggu, Changping and Tongzhou. Comparative advantage of forestry is remarkable for Mentougou, Chaoyang, Fengtai, Changping, Huairou and Haidian. Animal production is comparatively advantageous for Huairou, Miyun, Fangshan, Shunyi, Mentougou and Yanqing. Agricultural service is outstanding (from the perspective of comparative advantage) in Haidian and Chaoyang. Consequently, in combination with natural resources and position situation, the overall arrangement of industrial development in urban agriculture in Beijing can be categorized into four different cycles: suburban agricultural cycle, exurb-plain agricultural cycle, mountain-ecology agricultural cycle, and cooperative agricultural cycle.