Abstract: The production and operation of edible agricultural products are regulated by many laws such as the Food Safety Law and the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law. However, the governance of the quality and safety of agricultural food products produced and operated by small farming households needs to be strengthened. These agricultural food products are put under the regulation of the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law (Revised Draft) released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which stipulates the obligations of producers and operators to strengthen the enforcement actions against violations of the law. In view of great difficulties in holding agricultural food quality and safety violators accountable, small farming households’ weak ability to bear legal responsibilities and ensuring social equity, whole-process supervision of the production and operation of agricultural food products by small farming households should be further strengthened, and the agricultural assistance system should be specified to improve small farming households’ capacity to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products, provide institutional opportunities for the integration of agricultural social services into the safe production of agricultural products by small farming households, and develop a self-governance system for agricultural product quality and safety in rural areas so as to strengthen areas of weakness in government supervision.

Key words: small farming households; edible agricultural products; food safety; Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law; Food Safety Law