The Chinese government held its annual conference on agricultural work from December 28 to 29, focusing on how to implement a strategy of “rural revitalization.”
The strategy was initiated last year by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Secretary General Xi Jinping at the CPC’s 19th National Congress, where he said agricultural work should head down a creative road of Chinese characteristics.
At the agricultural conference, the government divided the strategy into three stages: forming a policy frame and institution for “rural revitalization” strategy by 2020, achieving basic agricultural modernization by 2035, and creating a strong agricultural sector with beautiful villages and rich farmers by 2050.
Based on the plan, the government demanded increases in all products that benefit farmers, strengthened construction of rural infrastructure, improved poverty relief in rural areas, promotion of emerging agricultural industries that provide more channels for farmers to prosper, and deepened supply-side reforms to help agricultural products better meet customer demand.
Analysts have widely supported the strategy, which they see as key to narrowing the gap between urban and rural development. Ye Xingqing, the rural economy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said the government would succeed if they could manage the “people, land and money” in rural areas. This meant optimizing the structure of the agricultural population, improving rural land reforms by separating land operating and contracting rights from ownership, and securing more funding for rural development.