Reading China's 2026 No.1 Document
Food security targets, AI in farming, and a quieter confidence
Yesterday, the Chinese central government published its annual No.1 document (中央一号文件). As part of Chinese political tradition, every year since 2004, the Chinese government has addressed farmers or rural-related issues through its annual "No. 1 Central Document."
I did a readout of last year's document here:
Below are some of my personal readouts of the document:
In some sense, after last year’s tariff war with the United States, the Chinese are more confident in our economic resilience. This is reflected in the document’s framing: while the 2025 version emphasized “a complex and severe international environment” and “increasing uncertain and unpredictable factors” with a more defensive tone, the 2026 document shifts focus toward alignment with the 15th Five-Year Plan. For the first time in a No.1 document, we see urgent language around “accelerating the construction of an agricultural powerhouse” (加快建设农业强国). The 2026 formulation projects greater confidence.
Structural Adjustments
In terms of specific provisions, the 2025 document contained six major sections with thirty articles, while the 2026 version is streamlined to six sections with twenty-seven articles.
Food security has been notably elevated. The 2026 document places “Enhancing Agricultural Comprehensive Production Capacity and Quality Benefits” as the first chapter, and for the first time explicitly writes a specific numerical target into the main text: “stabilize grain output at around 1.4 trillion jin.”(700 million tons)
Additionally, farmer income growth now stands as an independent chapter. The 2026 document creates a new dedicated chapter on “Actively Promoting Stable Farmer Income Growth” (积极促进农民稳定增收), systematically integrating content that was previously scattered across different sections of the 2025 document. This structural adjustment signals that farmer income has been elevated to a more prominent policy priority.
Changes in Key Formulations
Grain Production
The 2026 document introduces a three-dimensional coordination framework: “grasping output and capacity, production and ecology, and increased yields and income together” (产量产能、生产生态、增产增收一起抓). The 2025 version merely emphasized “focusing on per-unit yield and quality improvement.” New expressions such as “promoting grain variety optimization and quality enhancement,” “implementing grain circulation quality and efficiency improvement projects,” and “promoting marketable products at premium prices” indicate policy attention is extending from simple yield increases toward whole-chain benefits.
Soybean policy wording has also shifted subtly. The 2025 formulation was “consolidate soybean acreage expansion results” (巩固大豆扩种成果), while 2026 changes this to “consolidate and enhance soybean production capacity” (巩固提升大豆产能)—a pivot from acreage-oriented to capacity-oriented thinking, suggesting the expansion phase has concluded and focus is shifting toward per-unit yield improvement.
Farmland Protection
The 2026 document adds a new requirement to “formulate a special plan for farmland protection” (制定耕地保护专项规划)—the first time a No.1 document has called for drafting such a dedicated plan. It also adds language about “optimizing farmland survey rules with a focus on protecting the cultivation layer and grain production capacity” (着眼保护耕作层和粮食生产能力，优化耕地调查规则), responding to recent controversies over farmland survey standards.
Technology Sector
The 2026 document adds specific technological expressions including “promoting the integration of artificial intelligence with agricultural development” (促进人工智能与农业发展相结合), “expanding application scenarios for drones, IoT, and robots” (拓展无人机、物联网、机器人等应用场景), and “accelerating key technological innovation in agricultural biomanufacturing” (加快农业生物制造关键技术创新). As the labor force shrinks, China cannot rely on the traditional low-skilled rural labor “smallholder” path to maintain food security; instead, it needs more highly-skilled “agricultural workers.” In agricultural education, this year’s document adds “deepening reform of agricultural research institutes” (深化农业科研院所改革) and “deepening education and teaching reform in agriculture-related universities, accelerating new agricultural science construction guided by demand” (深化涉农高校教育教学改革，以需求为导向加快新农科建设), which corroborates this point.
Grassroots Governance
The 2026 document adds “strengthening prevention and governance of juvenile delinquency” (强化未成年人违法犯罪预防和治理), absent from the 2025 version. The left-behind children education problem caused by labor mobility in China has long been an issue, and as rural labor decreases, local family and village-based influence on youth has loosened. Lack of guidance makes these groups vulnerable to criminal paths. This may signal that grassroots governments are attempting to address the problem.
Regarding grassroots cadres, the 2026 document adds a rigid requirement that “civil servant recruitment plans should tilt toward county and township grassroots organs, and in principle, staff should not be seconded from county and township levels” (公务员招录计划向县乡基层机关倾斜，原则上不得从县乡借调工作人员)—stricter than the 2025 formulation. I believe this also stems from considerations of preventing the hollowing out of grassroots administrative capacity.
Deletions and Adjustments
The 2026 document also removes considerable content. For instance, the 2025 document’s “improving the mechanism for agricultural transfer population urbanization” (健全农业转移人口市民化机制) appeared as an independent, detailed article; in 2026, related content is merged into “promoting two-way flow of urban-rural factors” (推动城乡要素双向流动) with reduced length.
The 2025 expression “promoting rural consumer goods trade-in” (推动农村消费品以旧换新) is adjusted in 2026 to “improving the recycling system for rural used home appliances and furniture” (健全农村废旧家电家具等再生资源回收体系)—a shift from consumption stimulus toward circular system construction.
Overall, the policy stability priority in China’s No. 1 document takes precedence over reform rhetoric, with greater emphasis on the effectiveness of policy implementation and farmers’ tangible sense of gain.
Below is the full text I translated with the help of AI
Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Anchoring Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Advancing Comprehensive Rural Revitalization
(January 3, 2026)
Agricultural and rural modernization is integral to the overall progress and quality of Chinese-style modernization. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China’s comprehensive agricultural production capacity reached a new level, achievements in poverty alleviation were consolidated and expanded, farmers’ living standards improved significantly, and notable progress was made in comprehensive rural revitalization. The “15th Five-Year Plan” period is a critical phase for laying a solid foundation and making comprehensive efforts toward basically achieving socialist modernization. We must accelerate efforts to address outstanding shortcomings in agriculture and rural areas and speed up the building of a strong agricultural nation. The year 2026 marks the first year of the “15th Five-Year Plan,” making work on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (”San Nong” or “Three Rural Issues”) crucially important.
We must uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, earnestly implement the arrangements of the Fourth Plenary Session, and fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions and instructions on “San Nong” work. We must persist in treating the proper resolution of “San Nong” issues as the top priority of the Party’s work, uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over “San Nong” work, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas, promote integrated urban-rural development, and anchor agricultural and rural modernization.
Using the comprehensive advancement of rural revitalization as the overall approach, guided by learning from and applying the experience of the “Qianwan Project” (Ten Million Rural Households Project), and driven by reform and innovation as the fundamental impetus, we shall enhance the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and increase their prosperity. We shall safeguard the bottom line of national food security, continuously consolidate and expand achievements in poverty alleviation, and elevate the levels of rural industrial development, rural construction, and rural governance. We shall strive to build agriculture into a major modern industry, enable rural areas to basically possess modern living conditions, and make farmers’ lives more prosperous and fulfilling, thereby providing foundational support for advancing Chinese-style modernization.
I. Enhancing Comprehensive Agricultural Production Capacity and Quality Benefits
(1) Stabilizing the Development of Grain and Oil Production
Grain production shall be stabilized at approximately 1.4 trillion jin (700 million metric tons). We shall persist in simultaneously pursuing production output and capacity, production and ecology, and increased yields along with increased farmer income. We shall intensify implementation of the new round of action to boost grain production capacity by 100 billion jin, promote integrated efficiency gains from quality farmland, quality seeds, quality machinery, and quality methods, and advance large-scale yield increases per unit area for grain and oil crops.
Production structure and regional distribution shall be optimized based on local conditions. We shall promote the improvement of grain varieties and quality, implement projects to enhance grain circulation efficiency, and facilitate the production of marketable products at premium prices. Soybean production capacity shall be consolidated and enhanced with improved coordination between production and sales. The production space for rapeseed, peanuts, and oil-tea camellia shall be expanded to diversify oil supply. We shall promote stable development of industries including cotton, sugar crops, and natural rubber, while deepening efforts to conserve grain and combat food waste.
(2) Promoting Quality and Efficiency Improvements in the “Vegetable Basket” Industry
We shall pursue agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery in parallel, promoting the construction of a diversified food supply system. Comprehensive regulation of pig production capacity shall be strengthened, and relief outcomes for beef cattle and dairy industries shall be consolidated to promote balanced supply and demand and healthy development. Multiple measures shall be taken to promote dairy consumption. Support shall be provided for developing silage corn, alfalfa, and other forage crops to facilitate the transformation and upgrading of grassland animal husbandry.
Facility agriculture renovation and upgrading shall be supported, vegetable production shall be stabilized, deep-sea and distant-water fishing shall be advanced, and forest foods and bio-agriculture shall be actively developed. Food safety accountability shall be strictly implemented, with strengthened multi-departmental coordination and full-chain supervision, and strict investigation and punishment of issues such as illegal additives and excessive pesticide and veterinary drug residues.
(3) Strengthening Farmland Protection and Quality Improvement
The red line for farmland protection shall be strictly observed. Agricultural land distribution shall be comprehensively optimized, farmland occupation-compensation balance management shall be strictly enforced, quality verification for supplementary farmland shall be standardized, and special planning for farmland protection shall be formulated. All types of illegal activities damaging farmland shall be firmly combated, rectification of illegal occupation of farmland for rural housing construction shall be solidly advanced, and the resurgence of problems such as “greenhouse houses” shall be strictly prevented.
With a focus on protecting the cultivated layer and grain production capacity, farmland survey rules shall be optimized, the management system for facility agricultural land shall be improved, and rectification of farmland “non-grain” use and restoration of abandoned land shall be carried out steadily and orderly. High-standard farmland construction shall be advanced with high quality on a regional and categorical basis. Project initiation, construction, acceptance, and maintenance mechanisms shall be improved, fund supervision shall be strengthened, and soil improvement and land fertility enhancement efforts shall be intensified.
Modernization and renovation of medium and large-scale irrigation districts shall be advanced, and the connection between high-standard farmland canal systems and main irrigation infrastructure shall be strengthened. The management mechanism for upgrading and downgrading permanent basic farmland shall be improved. A new round of black soil protection projects shall be implemented, and comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land and treatment of acidified farmland shall be solidly advanced. Under the premise of ensuring that provincial farmland protection tasks are not reduced, unstable farmland affecting flood discharge safety in river channels and lake areas shall be withdrawn in a steady and orderly manner.
(4) Enhancing Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Efficiency
The construction of science and technology innovation platforms and bases shall be coordinated. Breakthroughs in key core agricultural technologies shall be strengthened, along with efficient transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, to cultivate and strengthen leading science and technology enterprises in the agricultural sector. The seed industry revitalization campaign shall be deeply implemented, accelerating the breeding and promotion of breakthrough varieties and advancing industrialization of biological breeding.
Research, development, and application of high-end intelligent agricultural machinery suitable for hilly and mountainous areas shall be accelerated, and research and promotion of forestry and grassland machinery shall be strengthened. New quality productive forces in agriculture shall be developed according to local conditions, integrating artificial intelligence with agricultural development and expanding application scenarios for drones, the Internet of Things, and robots. Innovation in key agricultural bio-manufacturing technologies shall be accelerated. Reform of agricultural research institutes shall be deepened.
Reform and construction of the grassroots agricultural technology extension system shall be advanced, promoting the dissemination of agricultural scientific and technological achievements to villages and households. Educational and teaching reform in agriculture-related universities shall be deepened, accelerating the construction of new agricultural disciplines oriented toward demand and promoting targeted cultivation of agricultural professionals.
(5) Strengthening Agricultural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation System Construction
Agricultural climate resource surveys and zoning shall be conducted. Weather, hydrology, and geological disaster monitoring, forecasting, and early warning shall be strengthened to improve the capacity to respond to extreme weather. Construction of key control hubs, levee upgrading, and flood detention areas for major rivers shall be advanced. Reinforcement of dangerous reservoirs and large and medium-sized dangerous sluice gates shall be strengthened. Restoration of farmland ditches, governance of small and medium-sized rivers and plain waterlogged areas, and enhancement of flash flood control and management capabilities shall be addressed, along with restoration and reconstruction of disaster-damaged facilities.
The construction of flood prevention and drainage systems in northern regions shall be strengthened, with appropriately higher engineering construction standards. Construction of drought-resistant emergency water source projects and farmland drainage facilities shall be strengthened, and mechanisms for disaster relief machinery allocation and emergency deployment shall be improved. Unified prevention and control of pests and diseases shall be strengthened, and joint prevention and control of major animal epidemics shall be advanced. Farmland shelterbelt construction shall be promoted, and forest and grassland fire prevention and suppression work shall be strengthened.
(6) Coordinating Agricultural Product Trade and Production
Diversification of agricultural product imports shall be promoted. Agricultural enterprises with international competitiveness shall be cultivated. Exports of advantageous and distinctive agricultural products shall be supported. Agricultural product smuggling shall be severely combated according to law. Active participation in international food and agricultural governance shall be pursued.
II. Implementing Normalized Targeted Assistance
(7) Improving the Normalized Assistance Policy System
Normalized assistance responsibilities shall be implemented, the guarantee levels for the “Three Guarantees” (housing, education, and healthcare) and safe drinking water shall be steadily improved, and the bottom line against large-scale return to poverty shall be maintained. Normalized assistance shall be incorporated into the overall implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, maintaining general stability in fiscal investment, financial support, and resource allocation policies. Development-oriented assistance shall be strengthened, internal motivation shall be enhanced, the role of social assistance as a safety net shall be leveraged, and coordination and integration of assistance policies shall be promoted.
The scale of central fiscal normalized assistance funds and provincial and municipal investment funds shall remain stable. Counties may reasonably arrange funds according to their assistance tasks.
(8) Improving the Precision and Timeliness of Monitoring and Assistance
The criteria for identifying targets for preventing return to poverty shall be reasonably determined, and the adjustment mechanism for standards shall be standardized. Normalized monitoring at the township and village levels shall be solidly conducted, and precise identification and rapid response mechanisms shall be improved to ensure early detection, early intervention, and early assistance. Monitoring and identification of targets for preventing return to poverty and rural social assistance recipients shall be coordinated, income and expenditure accounting standards shall be standardized, and data sharing shall be strengthened.
Precise assistance and dynamic adjustment for targets to prevent return to poverty shall be conducted effectively. Comprehensive evaluations shall assess the economic conditions and self-development capabilities of households of formerly registered poverty-stricken populations. Those meeting exit conditions shall exit assistance in an orderly manner, while those at risk of returning to poverty without assistance policies shall continue to receive support.
(9) Enhancing the Effectiveness of Industrial and Employment Assistance
Industrial assistance methods shall be optimized, with classified promotion of consolidation, upgrading, revitalization, and adjustment of existing industries to develop assistance industries with market competitiveness. The proportion of central fiscal normalized assistance funds used for industrial development shall remain basically stable at the provincial level, while counties may implement differentiated requirements. Household industrial assistance reward and subsidy policies shall be improved to support targets in preventing return to poverty through business income. The normalized supervision responsibility for assistance project assets shall be implemented, with classified inclusion in state-owned assets or rural collective assets supervision systems, and strengthened revitalization of low-efficiency and idle assets.
Employment assistance shall be strengthened, organized labor export shall be conducted effectively, and employment channels such as employment assistance workshops and rural public welfare positions shall be utilized. Follow-up support for relocated populations shall continue.
(10) Providing Layered and Classified Assistance to Underdeveloped Regions
National and provincial-level key counties for rural revitalization assistance shall be separately identified, support policies and incentive-constraint mechanisms shall be improved, and development status statistical monitoring systems shall be established. Regional and cross-regional major infrastructure construction shall be promoted. “Team-based” assistance for medical and educational cadres and talent, as well as the dispatch of science and technology missions, shall be deeply carried out.
East-West cooperation fields shall be expanded, pairing relationships for central-level unit targeted assistance shall be adjusted and optimized, and assessment methods shall be improved. Normalized village-based assistance shall be conducted, and the selection and management mechanism for first village secretaries and work teams shall be optimized.
III. Actively Promoting Stable Increases in Farmers’ Income
(11) Protecting and Mobilizing Farmers’ Enthusiasm for Farming and Grain Production
Policy support and coordination in terms of prices, subsidies, and insurance shall be strengthened to improve the income protection mechanism for grain-growing farmers. Monitoring, early warning, and information dissemination for agricultural product markets shall be strengthened. Market-oriented purchases and policy-based storage shall be coordinated to keep prices of grain and other important agricultural products at reasonable levels.
Minimum purchase prices for rice and wheat shall be reasonably determined, and the cotton target price policy shall be improved. Farmland fertility protection subsidies, corn and soybean producer subsidies, and rice subsidies shall be stably implemented. Agricultural machinery purchase and application subsidy policies shall be effectively implemented, optimal machines shall receive optimal subsidies, and full-chain normalized supervision shall be strengthened.
Insurance protection for rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans shall be strengthened, development of local specialty agricultural product insurance shall be supported, and insurance claims efficiency shall be improved. Construction of agricultural futures markets shall be strengthened. Local governments shall be encouraged to pilot interest subsidy programs for grain and oil planting loans. Agricultural enterprises shall be guided to coordinate processing capacity distribution in major grain-producing areas. Inter-provincial horizontal benefit compensation policies between grain production and sales areas shall be implemented effectively to support major grain-producing areas in supplementing their financial resources and developing their grain industries.
(12) Cultivating and Strengthening County-Level Industries that Enrich the People
Scientific agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture shall be developed in a coordinated manner. Multiple agricultural functions shall be developed, and deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas shall be promoted. Development of green and efficient planting and breeding shall be supported, deep processing of agricultural products shall be advanced, agricultural premium brands shall be cultivated, and whole industry chain development shall be promoted.
The rural e-commerce high-quality development project shall be implemented, e-commerce platforms shall be promoted to extend their reach and empower rural areas, and construction of pre-cooling at origin, cold storage and preservation, sorting and processing, and other facilities shall be strengthened. Live-streaming sales of agricultural products shall be standardized. Integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism shall be deepened, rural tourism shall be upgraded, and “small but beautiful” cultural tourism formats shall be developed. Forestry and grassland industries shall be actively developed, and formats such as understory economy and forest health care shall be cultivated. The regional distribution of the cocoon silk industry shall be optimized.
County economies with distinct characteristics shall be developed, small and medium-sized enterprise characteristic industrial clusters shall be cultivated, and integrated development of industry vitalization, county strengthening, and people’s prosperity shall be promoted. Channels and methods for farmers to participate in industrial development shall be expanded, fair mechanisms for sharing industrial development benefits shall be improved, and new types of agricultural operators shall be guided to help farmers increase income and achieve prosperity. Industrial project planning and scientific demonstration shall be strengthened to avoid rushing in blindly and sharp rises and falls. Provincial-level statistical evaluation systems for agriculture and related industries shall be improved.
(13) Promoting Stable Employment for Migrant Workers
Support policies for stable employment of migrant workers shall be implemented effectively, and key industry enterprises shall be supported in reducing burdens and expanding jobs. Large-scale vocational skills training shall be implemented to promote precise matching between training programs and job requirements. Services and support for migrant workers seeking employment outside and support for returning home for employment and entrepreneurship shall be coordinated, and care and assistance for older migrant workers shall be strengthened.
Wage payment protection for migrant workers shall be strengthened, and efforts to address wage arrears shall be intensified. The rural craftsman cultivation project shall be advanced. The scope, construction areas, and labor remuneration of work-for-relief projects shall be expanded, and flexible contracting methods shall be encouraged to allow grassroots rural areas to independently implement projects. Flexible employment workers shall be encouraged to participate in urban employees’ basic pension insurance, and the occupational injury protection pilot for workers in new employment forms shall be expanded.
(14) Taking Multiple Measures to Expand Rural Consumption
Rural consumption expansion and upgrading shall be supported, consumption facilities and service levels shall be improved, and new consumption formats, models, and scenarios such as harvest markets, intangible cultural heritage workshops, and leisure camping shall be cultivated. Construction and renewal of county-township-village circulation infrastructure shall be supported to promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement in commercial circulation in rural and remote areas.
New energy vehicles, smart home appliances, and green building materials going to the countryside shall be supported, and the rural waste household appliances and furniture recycling system shall be improved. The production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy goods in rural areas shall be severely combated according to law.
IV. Promoting the Construction of Livable, Business-Friendly, and Beautiful Villages According to Local Conditions
(15) Comprehensively Optimizing Rural Land and Space Layout
Adapting to population change trends, based on main functional positioning, and combined with natural disaster prevention, village and town distribution shall be comprehensively optimized. Village planning quality and effectiveness shall be improved, and construction priorities and sequencing shall be reasonably determined. Rural construction implementation mechanisms shall be improved according to local conditions, rural revitalization shall be advanced in a classified, orderly, and regionalized manner, and the completeness of rural infrastructure, convenience of public services, and comfort of living environments shall be gradually improved. Shortcomings in rural modern living conditions shall be quickly addressed to create high-quality rural living spaces.
County-level land and space governance shall be coordinated. On the premise of maintaining farmland quantity, improving quality, and enhancing ecology, comprehensive land consolidation shall be steadily carried out to improve land conservation and intensive utilization levels, and land for rural development shall be classified and secured. Construction of townships and villages in border areas shall be supported.
(16) Strengthening Rural Infrastructure Construction and Maintenance
Construction of small-scale water diversion projects shall be supported, and rural water supply security levels shall be improved by category. In areas with suitable conditions, county-level unified management and professional maintenance of rural water supply may be promoted. The power supply security and comprehensive carrying capacity of rural power grids shall be enhanced, and the coverage of rural charging facilities shall be expanded.
Renovation of old rural roads, widening of narrow roads, and improvement of substandard road sections shall be advanced, and construction of safety protection facilities shall be strengthened. Shared construction of rural delivery and logistics facilities shall be supported, integrated development of rural passenger, freight, and postal services shall be promoted, joint distribution shall be implemented, and express delivery to villages shall be deepened. The stable operation guarantee mechanism for rural passenger transport shall be improved.
Rural dilapidated housing renovation shall continue, and construction of modern livable rural housing shall be promoted. The digital village high-quality development action shall be implemented, and network coverage in rural and remote areas shall be improved. Infrastructure construction in forest areas, reclamation areas, and pastoral areas shall be strengthened. County-level infrastructure shall be planned, constructed, and maintained in an integrated manner, and a long-term mechanism for rural infrastructure maintenance shall be established.
(17) Strengthening the Coordinated Supply of Basic Public Services at the County Level
The distribution of rural primary and secondary schools and kindergartens shall be optimized prudently. Necessary small-scale village schools and kindergartens shall be retained and run well, and the county-level general high school revitalization action plan shall be implemented. Urban-rural school community construction shall be promoted, county-level teaching staff allocation shall be strengthened, and online sharing of quality classes between urban and rural schools shall be promoted. Multiple measures shall be taken to intensify efforts to prevent dropouts in rural areas.
The healthcare strengthening project shall be implemented, county-level hospitals and key central township health centers shall be upgraded, and the operation security of county and grassroots medical institutions shall be strengthened. Close-knit county medical communities shall be supported in enhancing comprehensive service capabilities, and the scope of drug procurement, allocation, and use by grassroots medical and health institutions shall be reasonably expanded. Achievements in rural residents’ participation in medical insurance shall be consolidated and expanded, continuous enrollment incentive-constraint mechanisms shall be improved, and the proportion of medical insurance fund usage in county, township, and village medical and health institutions shall be steadily increased. The special plan for college graduate village doctors shall be implemented.
Based on home-based elderly care, eligible areas shall be encouraged to develop elderly care services such as meal assistance, daytime care, and rehabilitation nursing. County and township universal childcare services shall be developed. The mechanism for determining and dynamically adjusting rural subsistence allowance standards shall be improved, the assistance and support system for extremely poor people shall be optimized, and the timeliness and accessibility of temporary assistance shall be enhanced.
Through methods such as cadre liaison, volunteer services, and development of rural public welfare positions, visits and care for rural lonely elderly, left-behind children, children in difficulties, disabled persons, and persons with mental disorders shall be strengthened, and practical difficulties shall be promptly addressed.
(18) Promoting Integrated Rural Ecological Protection and Restoration
Rural living environments shall continue to be improved. With the spirit of driving nails, issues such as rural toilet renovation and garbage surrounding villages shall be addressed. The socialized maintenance service system for rural toilets shall be improved, village appearances shall be improved, and beautiful villages shall be built. Rural domestic sewage treatment models shall be selected according to local conditions, low-efficiency and ineffective sewage treatment facilities shall be optimized and adjusted, and rural black and odorous water bodies shall be eliminated as soon as possible.
Source reduction of rural domestic waste shall be advanced, and the normalized operation guarantee mechanism for collection, transportation, and disposal shall be improved. Green production and water-saving irrigation technologies shall be promoted, and ecological low-carbon agriculture shall be developed. The agricultural and rural pollution prevention and control campaign shall be advanced, systematic treatment of prominent agricultural non-point source pollution areas shall be strengthened, soil heavy metal pollution tracing, remediation, and safe utilization of contaminated farmland shall be promoted, and comprehensive treatment of livestock and poultry manure and marine aquaculture ecological environment issues shall be strengthened.
Straw comprehensive utilization capacity shall be enhanced. Systematic treatment and ecological protection of important rivers, lakes, and reservoirs shall be strengthened, and comprehensive treatment of soil erosion in key basins and regions shall be advanced. The ten-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River shall be firmly implemented. Quarantine of imported animals and plants and prevention and control of invasive alien species shall be strengthened.
The “Three-North” (Northeast, North, and Northwest) Shelterbelt Project shall be comprehensively advanced, work-for-relief and other project implementation methods shall be promoted, and achievements in sand prevention and control shall be consolidated and expanded. The fourth round of grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward policies shall be improved.
(19) Deeply Implementing the Civilized Rural Culture Construction Project
Rural ideological and political work shall be strengthened, socialist core values shall be promoted and practiced, and mass publicity and educational activities shall be widely carried out. Civilization cultivation, civilization practice, and civilization creation shall be coordinated to promote the formation of upward and virtuous rural moral customs.
The “Art Empowering Villages” initiative shall be advanced to enrich rural cultural products and service supply. Systematic protection of rural cultural heritage shall be promoted, surveys and protection of rural cultural relics, traditional villages, and intangible cultural heritage shall be strengthened, and a protection implementation mechanism with villagers as the main body shall be established.
Rural customs transformation shall continue. The leading role of Party members and cadres and the guiding role of village rules and conventions shall be leveraged, combining dredging and blocking, addressing both symptoms and root causes in comprehensive governance of prominent issues. High bride prices in rural areas shall be continuously addressed, and joint governance in interprovincial adjacent areas shall be strengthened. Correct views on marriage, childbirth, and family shall be guided, and a simple and civilized wedding culture shall be cultivated. The rural funeral public service system shall be improved, and construction and standardized management of rural public cemeteries shall be advanced.
(20) Building Safe and Law-Based Villages
The “Fengqiao Experience” in the new era shall be upheld and developed, promoting the resolution of conflicts and disputes at the grassroots level. Overall rural social security prevention and control shall be strengthened, campaigns against organized crime shall be carried out on a normalized basis, and the proliferation of “village bullies” and clan evil forces shall be firmly curbed. The management system for ancestral hall activities shall be improved.
Various illegal and criminal activities in rural areas, such as pornography, gambling, drugs, infringement of the rights and interests of women and children and the personal rights of disabled persons, telecommunications and internet fraud, and illegal financial activities, shall be severely cracked down on. Prevention and governance of juvenile delinquency shall be strengthened. Rural religious affairs management shall be strengthened.
The legal and regulatory system for agriculture and rural areas shall be established and improved, and rural legal publicity and education shall be strengthened. The Rural Revitalization Promotion Law shall be deeply implemented. Rural disaster risk investigation and treatment shall be coordinated, safety risks in key areas such as road traffic, confined spaces, gas, fire protection, and housing shall be prevented and resolved, and safety protection and emergency rescue capacity building for drowning and other hazards shall be strengthened. Special rectification of marine fishing vessel safety production shall be carried out.
V. Strengthening Institutional and Mechanism Innovation
(21) Accelerating the Improvement of the Modern Agricultural Management System
The province-wide pilot for extending the second round of land contracts by thirty years after expiration shall be comprehensively carried out. Conflicts and disputes in contract extension shall be properly resolved to ensure that most farmer households maintain stable original contracted land and successfully extend contracts. The transfer of contracted land management rights shall be standardized, and risk monitoring and early warning for long-term and large-scale land transfers shall be strengthened.
The production and management capacity of family farms shall be enhanced, the development quality of farmer cooperatives shall be improved, the role of modern agricultural comprehensive service centers shall be leveraged, a convenient and efficient agricultural socialization service system shall be improved, and moderate-scale agricultural management shall be developed to promote organic connections between smallholder farmers and modern agricultural development.
Rural collective property rights system reform shall be deepened, development of new rural collective economies shall be supported, and new village-level debt shall be strictly controlled. Comprehensive reform of supply and marketing cooperatives shall be advanced, the relationship between cooperatives and enterprises shall be rationalized as soon as possible, and the function of serving agriculture shall be strengthened. The state-owned assets and resources supervision system for state farms shall be improved.
(22) Standardizing and Orderly Utilizing Various Rural Resources
The market entry of rural collective commercial construction land shall be promoted in an orderly manner. Land entering the market shall be prioritized for developing collective economy and rural industries, and shall be strictly prohibited for building commercial housing. Management of rural homesteads and farmer housing construction approval shall be strengthened, and illegal and irregular purchases of farmhouses and homesteads shall be strictly investigated and prevented.
Idle land and houses shall be revitalized and utilized according to law, and lease contract management shall be strengthened. The healthy development of rural property rights transfer and trading markets shall be guided. Outstanding issues in the management of rural collective funds, assets, and resources shall be thoroughly rectified, and standardized management of village-level labor employment shall be strengthened. Collective forest rights system reform shall continue to be deepened.
(23) Innovating Rural Revitalization Investment and Financing Mechanisms
Priority shall be given to ensuring general public budget investment in agriculture and rural areas, and the effectiveness and benefits of fiscal policies supporting agriculture shall be enhanced. Special bonds and ultra-long-term special government bonds shall be fully utilized to support the construction of major projects in eligible agricultural and rural areas that meet conditions.
The fiscal-financial coordinated mechanism for agricultural investment shall be improved, and the incentive role of policies such as re-lending for agriculture and small businesses, and re-lending for scientific and technological innovation and technological transformation, shall be fully leveraged to promote financial institutions to increase capital investment in agriculture and rural areas. Support for loan extensions and renewals for agricultural enterprises and farmers shall be strengthened. Rural credit system construction shall be promoted, and agricultural information aggregation and sharing shall be strengthened.
Social investment in agriculture and rural areas shall be guided and standardized, and risk prevention mechanisms shall be improved. Full-process supervision of agricultural funds and projects shall be strengthened, and issues such as fraud, favoritism toward relatives and friends, “taking a cut,” and misappropriation shall be seriously investigated and dealt with.
(24) Promoting Two-Way Flow of Urban-Rural Factors
The citizenization of agricultural transfer population shall be scientifically and orderly promoted. Policies linking transfer payments, new construction land quotas, and infrastructure construction investment to the citizenization of agricultural transfer population shall be implemented, and the system of providing basic public services based on permanent residence registration shall be promoted.
The land contract rights, homestead use rights, and collective income distribution rights of farmers who have moved to cities shall be protected according to law, and methods for voluntary and compensated withdrawal shall be explored. The rural talent team shall be developed and strengthened, and various talents shall be encouraged to serve and start businesses in rural areas.
The cultivation of rural industrial leaders and rural governance talents shall be strengthened, and agricultural entrepreneurs shall be cultivated according to local conditions. A new round of the “Three Supports and One Assistance” plan for college graduates shall be implemented. The Rural Women Dreamers Plan, the Western Plan for College Student Volunteer Service, and the Rural Revitalization Youth Action shall be advanced.
VI. Strengthening the Party’s Overall Leadership over “San Nong” Work
(25) Strengthening the Implementation of Rural Revitalization Responsibility System
The five-level secretary system for rural revitalization (Party secretaries at provincial, municipal, county, township, and village levels) shall be upheld, and the Party’s institutional mechanisms for leading rural work shall be improved. The coordinating role of the Party Committee’s Rural Work Office shall be better leveraged. Education and training of “San Nong” cadres shall be intensified, special training on comprehensively advancing rural revitalization shall be deeply carried out, and the capabilities of Party and government cadres at all levels to manage “San Nong” work shall be enhanced.
(26) Strengthening Rural Grassroots Party Organization Construction
Rural grassroots organization elections shall be conducted effectively, township leadership teams shall be selected and strengthened, and the “two committees” of villages, especially the leadership team, shall be optimized. Weak and lax village Party organizations shall continue to be rectified. Daily education and management of rural Party members shall be strengthened, and the centralized rotation training plan for rural Party members shall be implemented.
Grassroots frontline forces shall be strengthened and stabilized, civil service recruitment plans shall be tilted toward county and township grassroots agencies, and in principle, staff shall not be seconded from counties and townships. Basic remuneration guarantees for village cadres shall be implemented, and reserve forces shall be cultivated and stored.
Village-level deliberation and consultation mechanisms and procedures shall be improved, and channels for farmers to participate in rural governance shall be expanded. Supervision and management of rural grassroots cadres shall be strengthened, and inspections of village Party organizations shall be continuously deepened.
(27) Improving Rural Work Methods
The correct view of political achievements shall be established and practiced, combining theory with practice and adapting to local conditions, and acting in accordance with objective laws. Work to rectify formalism and reduce the burden on the grassroots shall be deeply carried out. The list of responsibilities for townships (sub-districts) shall be utilized effectively, the access system for village (community) work matters shall be improved, data sharing and innovative applications of “one form for all” shall be strengthened, and government mobile internet applications targeting the grassroots shall be sorted out and integrated.
The Fourth National Agricultural Census shall be solidly carried out. The performance assessment of the rural revitalization strategy shall be optimized, focusing on key tasks, improving assessment methods, and enhancing the pertinence and scientific nature of assessments.
The “four going to the grassroots” system (promoting policies, conducting research, receiving people’s visits, and handling matters on site) shall be fully implemented. Starting from rural realities and fully respecting farmers’ wishes, “one-size-fits-all” policy implementation and layer-by-layer escalation shall be avoided. Problem orientation and innovation based on established principles shall be upheld, policy support and reform innovation shall be pursued simultaneously, and the grassroots shall be encouraged to boldly explore based on actual conditions to fully stimulate vitality in work and entrepreneurship.
Rectification of corruption and work style issues in the field of rural revitalization shall be deepened, the results of in-depth implementation of the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight Provisions shall be consolidated and expanded, and comprehensive rural revitalization shall be promoted with excellent work style.
We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, anchor our goals, forge ahead with determination, promote new progress in comprehensive rural revitalization, elevate agricultural and rural modernization to a new level, and make solid strides toward the goal of building a strong agricultural nation.
The first time the No. 1 document was about rural issues was 1982…
Great work! I wonder if there is research that links the changes from last year back to previous policy discussions or thinktank reports or academic research projects. Really like to understand the decision making process.