China is one of the major origins of strawberries, with cultivation areas concentrated in Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces, accounting for more than 60% of the total. Since the 2020s, the cultivation scale has expanded rapidly; ...
China is one of the major origins of strawberries, with cultivation areas concentrated in Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces, accounting for more than 60% of the total. Since the 2020s, the cultivation scale has expanded rapidly; however, problems such as delayed variety renewal, outdated cultivation techniques, plant diseases and continuous cropping obstacles, and quality and environmental issues caused by excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers coexist. This study conducted field interviews and surveys during the winter of 2024–2025 with 75 smallholder farmers in Yunjian Village (Yunshan Town), Beidaliuhe Village (Jiudian Town), and Xiliuqu Village (Guxian Town), all located in Pingdu City, Shandong Province. The survey covered production inputs, cultivation area, varieties, yields, and marketing channels, and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS through frequency and cross-tabulation methods. The results showed that the farming households were mainly middle-aged (40–50 years old) men, most of whom had an education level of middle school or below, and that small-scale cultivation (0.14–0.20 ha) was common. The main variety was Zhangji (章姬), a domestically bred cultivar, which accounted for 45.3% of the cultivation area. Most strawberries were grown in traditional natural-light greenhouses and were marketed primarily through conventional wholesale channels. The main difficulties reported by farmers included labor intensiveness and rising labor costs (e.g., about 40% in Lijiachang Village), uncertainties related to pests, diseases, and seedling quality, as well as problems in distribution, packaging, and transportation. In response, the study suggests the need for increased R&D investment, production standardization, dissemination of eco-friendly cultivation technologies, mechanization, diversification of distribution channels, expansion of storage and processing facilities, and the development of cooperatives and other forms of farmer organization to enhance the value chain. By focusing on the case of Pingdu City, this study empirically highlights the major problems of China’s strawberry industry and provides policy and managerial implications.