Anchor Agricultural and Rural Modernization to Build an Agricultural Powerhouse

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held in 2025, focused on economic and social development planning for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). was a very important meeting convened at a critical juncture when China has entered a period of consolidating the foundation and exerting full effort to basically realize socialist modernization. The plenary session reviewed and adopted the "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereinafter referred to as the "Proposal"), which emphasizes that "agricultural and rural modernization concerns the overall situation and quality of Chinese-path modernization. Persist in making solving the 'three rural' issues [2]2 "Three rural" issues (三农问题) refers to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. the top priority of the Party's work, promote integrated urban-rural development, continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, promote the basic availability of modern living conditions in rural areas, and accelerate the building of an agricultural powerhouse." This fully reflects the important strategic consideration of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to promote agricultural and rural modernization as an integral part of the overall Chinese-path modernization, and outlines the vision of agricultural and rural modernization characterized by "high-quality and efficient agriculture, livable and workable countryside, and prosperous and well-off farmers." We must anchor agricultural and rural modernization and make solid progress toward the goal of building an agricultural powerhouse.

党的二十届四中全会是在我国进入基本实现社会主义现代化夯实基础、全面发力的关键时期召开的一次十分重要的会议。全会审议通过《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》（以下简称《建议》），强调“农业农村现代化关系中国式现代化全局和成色。坚持把解决好‘三农’问题作为全党工作重中之重，促进城乡融合发展，持续巩固拓展脱贫攻坚成果，推动农村基本具备现代生活条件，加快建设农业强国”。这充分体现了以习近平同志为核心的党中央将农业农村现代化置于中国式现代化全局中统筹推进的重要战略考量，擘画了“农业高质高效、乡村宜居宜业、农民富裕富足”的农业农村现代化图景。我们要锚定农业农村现代化，朝着建设农业强国目标扎实迈进。

1. Enhance the Comprehensive Agricultural Production Capacity, Quality, and Efficiency, and Build Agriculture into a Modern Major Industry

1.提升农业综合生产能力和质量效益，把农业建成现代化大产业

Enhancing the comprehensive agricultural production capacity, quality, and efficiency is a key task in accelerating agricultural and rural modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "For China to be strong, agriculture must be strong." [3]3 A quotation from Xi Jinping's speech at the Central Rural Work Conference in December 2013. The "Proposal" states, "Adhere to simultaneously focusing on output and production capacity, production and ecology, and increasing output and income; coordinate the development of technology-driven agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture, and brand agriculture; and build agriculture into a modern major industry." This promotes a profound transformation of agriculture from traditional production to a full-chain, high-value-added, and sustainable modern industrial system through technological drive, ecological optimization, standard enhancement, and brand building.

提升农业综合生产能力和质量效益是加快农业农村现代化的关键任务。习近平总书记强调，“中国要强，农业必须强”。《建议》提出，“坚持产量产能、生产生态、增产增收一起抓，统筹发展科技农业、绿色农业、质量农业、品牌农业，把农业建成现代化大产业”，通过技术驱动、生态优化、标准提升和品牌塑造推动农业从传统生产向全链条、高附加值、可持续的现代产业体系深刻转型。

"Enhancing the comprehensive agricultural production capacity, quality, and efficiency" sets higher requirements for agricultural modernization from both quantitative and qualitative aspects. The narrow concept of production capacity refers to the maximum production capacity that arable land can achieve. In 2025, China's grain output stabilized at over 1.4 trillion jin [4]4 1.4 trillion jin equals 700 million metric tons. A jin is a Chinese unit of weight equal to 0.5 kilograms.. To enhance comprehensive agricultural production capacity, quality, and efficiency, it is necessary to stabilize the grain sowing area, make large-scale improvement in the per-unit yield of grain and oil crops a key measure, intensify the implementation of a new round of the 100-billion-jin grain production capacity enhancement action, promote simultaneous efforts in improving grain varieties and quality, and strengthen the capacity to ensure the supply of grain and other important agricultural products. The broad concept of production capacity refers to the maximum production capacity achievable through improved efficiency in the utilization of traditional factors and the tapping of new factor production capacity. To enhance comprehensive agricultural production capacity, quality, and efficiency, it is necessary to establish a big agriculture perspective and a big food perspective [5]5 "Big agriculture perspective" (大农业观) and "big food perspective" (大食物观) are policy concepts advocating a broader view of agriculture beyond grain farming, including forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, and a diversified food supply beyond staple grains., persist in developing agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries simultaneously, develop modern facility agriculture, and build a diversified food supply system. That is, on the basis of "ensuring quantity," achieve "improving quality" and "increasing efficiency." It is necessary to base efforts on resource endowments and development stages, follow the growth laws of modern industries, promote regionalized layout, scaled production, and industrialized operation of agriculture, expand the connotation and boundaries of agriculture, and, on the basis of developing agricultural product production, fully leverage the potential of "grain head, food tail," "livestock head, meat tail," and "agriculture head, industry tail" [6]6 These phrases ("grain head, food tail," etc.) are slogans promoting the extension of agricultural industrial chains, e.g., processing grain into food products, livestock into meat products, and agricultural raw materials into industrial goods., promoting the extension of the agricultural industry chain and the enhancement of the value chain, and comprehensively improving agricultural quality, efficiency, and competitiveness in domestic and international market competition.

“提升农业综合生产能力和质量效益”从总量和质量两方面对农业现代化提出更高要求。狭义层面的产能概念是指耕地能够达到的最大生产能力，2025年，我国粮食产量稳定在1.4万亿斤以上。提升农业综合生产能力和质量效益，要稳定粮食播种面积，把粮油作物大面积单产提升作为关键举措，加力实施新一轮千亿斤粮食产能提升行动，推动粮食品种培优和品质提升双向发力，增强粮食等重要农产品供给保障能力。广义层面的产能概念则指传统要素利用效率提升与新要素产能挖掘所能够达到的最大生产能力。提升农业综合生产能力和质量效益，要树立大农业观、大食物观，坚持农林牧渔并举，发展现代设施农业，构建多元化食物供给体系。也就是在“保量”的基础上做到“提质”和“增效”，要立足资源禀赋和发展阶段，遵循现代产业成长规律，促进农业区域化布局、规模化生产、产业化经营，拓展农业的内涵和边界，在发展农产品生产的基础上做足做活“粮头食尾”“畜头肉尾”“农头工尾”等文章，促进农业延长产业链、提升价值链，在国内外市场竞争中全方位提升农业质量效益和竞争力。

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [7]7 The 15th Five-Year Plan covers the period 2026–2030., to build agriculture into a modern major industry: First, food security must always be placed first in the work on the "three rural" issues. Deeply implement the strategy of "storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology" [8]8 "Storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology" (藏粮于地、藏粮于技) is a national food security strategy emphasizing protecting arable land quality and advancing agricultural technology., strictly guard the red line for arable land, strictly manage the balance of occupation and compensation, and coordinate the optimization of agricultural land layout. Through three major measures—construction of high-standard farmland, tackling key problems in improved seed varieties, and upgrading agricultural machinery—improve arable land quality, enhance technological levels and production organization and management capabilities, and increase grain per-unit yield. Properly handle the relationships between total quantity and structure, production capacity and output, and grain and diversified food, ensuring national food security at a higher level. Second, develop new quality productive forces in agriculture according to local conditions. Fully integrate biotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing technology, etc., into all aspects of agricultural production, empower agricultural production comprehensively and throughout the entire process, and help improve agricultural resource utilization rates, labor productivity, and land output rates. Cultivate and strengthen emerging industries and future industries in the agricultural field, implement smart agriculture construction projects, and expand application scenarios for big data, agricultural robots, artificial intelligence, etc., in agricultural and rural areas. Promote the resource-based, material-based, and energy-based utilization of agricultural waste, and accelerate the green transformation of agriculture. Third, innovate agricultural production and operation methods. Adapt to trend changes in the quantity and quality structure of the agricultural labor force, human-land relationships, production technology means, and comparative benefits of agriculture, promote the intensification, organization, and socialization of agricultural production and operation, and accelerate the comprehensive integration of smallholder farmers with modern agricultural development.

“十五五”时期，把农业建成现代化大产业，一是要始终把粮食安全放在“三农”工作首位。深入实施“藏粮于地、藏粮于技”战略，严守耕地红线，严格占补平衡管理，统筹农用地布局优化。通过高标准农田建设、良种攻关、农机升级三大举措，改善耕地质量，提升科技水平和生产组织管理能力，提高粮食单产水平。处理好总量与结构、产能与产量、粮食与多元食物的关系，在更高水平上保障国家粮食安全。二是要因地制宜发展农业新质生产力。将生物技术、人工智能、先进制造业技术等全面融入农业生产各环节，全方位全过程赋能农业生产，助力提升农业资源利用率、劳动生产率和土地产出率。培育壮大农业领域新兴产业和未来产业，实施智慧农业建设工程，拓展大数据、农业机器人、人工智能等在农业农村领域应用场景。推进农业废弃物资源化、材料化、能源化利用，加快农业绿色转型。三是创新农业生产经营方式。顺应农业劳动力数量与素质结构、人地关系、生产技术手段、农业比较效益等趋势性变化，促进农业生产经营的集约化、组织化、社会化，加快小农户和现代农业发展全面衔接。

2. Promote the Construction of Livable, Workable, and Beautiful Countryside, and Create High-Quality Living Spaces in Rural Areas

2.推进宜居宜业和美乡村建设，创造乡村优质生活空间

Promoting the construction of livable, workable, and beautiful countryside is an inevitable requirement for accelerating agricultural and rural modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "For China to be beautiful, the countryside must be beautiful," and "Rural modernization is an inherent requirement and necessary condition for building an agricultural powerhouse; building a livable, workable, and beautiful countryside is an integral part of an agricultural powerhouse." [9]9 Quotations from Xi Jinping's speeches at the Central Rural Work Conference in December 2022. The "Proposal" states, "Create high-quality living spaces in rural areas," emphasizing key tasks such as learning from and applying the experience of the "Ten Million Project" [10]10 "Ten Million Project" (千万工程) refers to the "Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" project initiated in Zhejiang Province in 2003, a model for rural environmental improvement and development., improving the implementation mechanism for rural construction according to local conditions, and accelerating the filling of gaps in modern living conditions in rural areas.

推进宜居宜业和美乡村建设是加快农业农村现代化的必然要求。习近平总书记强调，“中国要美，农村必须美”，“农村现代化是建设农业强国的内在要求和必要条件，建设宜居宜业和美乡村是农业强国的应有之义”。《建议》提出，“创造乡村优质生活空间”，强调学习运用“千万工程”经验、因地制宜完善乡村建设实施机制、加快补齐农村现代生活条件短板等重点任务。

To promote the construction of livable, workable, and beautiful countryside, on the hardware side, it is necessary to aim for the goal of "rural areas basically possessing modern living conditions," organize and implement rural construction actions well, and enable farmers to enjoy a modern civilized life locally; on the software side, it is necessary to focus on shaping a rural spiritual outlook characterized by kindness, harmony, and peaceful tranquility among people, and comprehensively promote rural economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction, ecological civilization construction, and Party building, driving the comprehensive improvement of the countryside from shaping the form to forging the soul, from the surface to the core, and achieving both form and spirit. The "Proposal" adds "by area" to the "Rural Comprehensive Revitalization Plan (2024–2027)" which states "promote comprehensive rural revitalization in a classified and orderly manner," i.e., "promote rural revitalization in a classified, orderly, and area-based manner." According to principles such as geographical proximity, similar endowments, connected industries, and cultural affinity, villages are divided into several areas. With the area as a unit, overall planning, construction, operation, and governance are carried out, promoting the clustered, integrated development of industries, environmental improvement, and organizational co-construction.

推进宜居宜业和美乡村建设，在硬件上要瞄准“农村基本具备现代生活条件”目标，组织实施好乡村建设行动，让农民就地过上现代文明生活；在软件上要着力塑造人心和善、和睦安宁的乡村精神风貌，统筹推进农村经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态文明建设和党的建设，推动乡村实现塑形到铸魂，由表及里、形神兼备的全面提升。《建议》在《乡村全面振兴规划（2024—2027年）》“分类有序推进乡村全面振兴”的基础上加上了“片区化”，即“分类有序、片区化推进乡村振兴”。按照地域相邻、禀赋相似、产业相连、文化相近等原则，将乡村划分为若干个片区，以片区为单元进行统筹规划、建设、运营和治理，组团式整体推进产业连片发展、环境连片整治、组织连片共建。

During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, to create high-quality living spaces in rural areas: First, it is necessary to adhere to the people-centered development philosophy. Respect the will of farmers, insist that rural construction is for the farmers, learn from and apply the experience of the "Ten Million Project," fully stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of farmers, and establish a mechanism for broad participation by farmers and social forces, from planning and design to project supervision, from environmental improvement to industrial development. Second, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of adapting measures to local conditions. China's rural forms and population are undergoing changes, bringing about changes in rural space and layout adjustments. It is necessary to coordinate and optimize the layout of villages and towns based on these changes, carry out classified construction, and implement policies tailored to local conditions in terms of construction focus and timing. Third, it is necessary to focus on promoting the construction of high-quality rural living spaces with high quality. Creating high-quality living spaces in rural areas does not mean building the countryside to look like cities, but rather starting from the actual conditions of each locality, responding to the needs of farmers, gradually improving the completeness of rural infrastructure, the convenience of public services, and the comfort of the living environment, making the beautiful and harmonious countryside a happy home for the vast majority of farmers. It is necessary to continuously improve the rural living environment, solve "key small matters" such as rural toilet renovation and garbage surrounding villages with a nail-spirit [11]11 "Nail-spirit" (钉钉子精神) is a metaphor from Xi Jinping, meaning persistent, focused effort to achieve concrete results, like driving a nail., accelerate the filling of gaps in modern living conditions in rural areas, achieve synergy between production, living, and ecology, and promote the transformation of the countryside from "external beauty" to "internal beauty" and from "temporary beauty" to "lasting beauty."

“十五五”时期，创造乡村优质生活空间，一是必须坚持以人民为中心的发展思想。尊重农民意愿，坚持乡村建设为农民而建，学习运用“千万工程”经验，充分激发农民的积极性、主动性和创造性，从规划设计到工程监督，从环境整治到产业发展，建立农民和社会力量广泛参与机制。二是必须坚持因地制宜原则。我国乡村形态和人口发生变迁，带来乡村空间变化和布局调整，需要根据这些变化，统筹优化村镇的布局，分类开展建设，同时在建设重点和时序上做到因地施策。三是必须以高质量推进乡村优质生活建设为着力点。打造乡村优质生活空间不是把乡村建设得和城市一样，而是要从各地实际出发，回应农民需求，逐步提高乡村基础设施完备度、公共服务便利度、人居环境舒适度，让和美乡村成为广大农民的幸福家园。要持续整治提升农村人居环境，以钉钉子精神解决好农村改厕、垃圾围村等“关键小事”，加快补齐农村现代生活条件短板，实现生产生活生态的协同，推动乡村从“外在美”向“内在美”、“一时美”向“持久美”转变。

3. Improve the Effectiveness of Policies to Strengthen Agriculture, Benefit Farmers, and Enrich Rural Areas, and Promote Stable Income Growth for Farmers

3.提高强农惠农富农政策效能，促进农民稳定增收

Enhancing the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers is a powerful guarantee for accelerating agricultural and rural modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “If China is to prosper, farmers must prosper.” The *Proposal* [referring to the proposal for the 14th Five-Year Plan] states that we should cultivate and strengthen distinctive rural industries, improve mechanisms linking farmers to industrial development, and promote stable increases in farmers’ incomes. Currently, the increase in Chinese farmers’ incomes mainly relies on wage income and transfer income. It is necessary to expand the channels and methods for farmers to participate in industrial development, improve the mechanism for fairly sharing the benefits of industrial development, and guide new types of agricultural business entities to drive farmers to increase their incomes and become prosperous.

提高强农惠农富农政策效能是加快农业农村现代化的有力保障。习近平总书记强调，“中国要富，农民必须富”。《建议》提出，培育壮大乡村特色产业，完善联农带农机制，促进农民稳定增收。当前，我国农民增收主要依赖工资性收入和转移性收入。要拓展农民参与产业发展渠道和方式，完善公平分享产业发展收益机制，引导新型农业经营主体带动农民增收致富。

To enhance the effectiveness of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit rural areas, and enrich farmers, we must improve the diversified investment pattern of fiscal priority guarantees, financial key support, and active social participation, ensuring that the intensity of investment in rural revitalization continues to increase. The *Proposal* emphasizes “protecting and mobilizing farmers’ enthusiasm for farming and grain production.” It is necessary to properly handle the relationship between ensuring food security and promoting farmers’ income growth, and establish a diversified long-term mechanism for increasing incomes. At the same time, we should increase the compensation mechanism for major grain-producing areas and implement inter-provincial horizontal compensation between production and sales areas. We should steadily advance the pilot project of extending rural land contracts for a second round for another 30 years upon expiration, and promote the resolution of the problem of fragmented land. We should coordinate the establishment of a normalized mechanism to prevent a return to poverty, establishing normalized management and operational mechanisms in areas such as organizational leadership, social mobilization, assessment and supervision, monitoring and early warning, identification and assistance.

提高强农惠农富农政策效能，健全财政优先保障、金融重点倾斜、社会积极参与的多元投入格局，确保乡村振兴投入力度不断增强。《建议》强调“保护和调动农民务农种粮积极性”，必须妥善处理好保障粮食安全和促进农民增收的关系，建立多元化的增收长效机制。同时加大粮食主产区利益补偿机制，实施产销区省际横向利益补偿。稳步推进第二轮土地承包到期后再延长三十年试点，推动解决土地细碎化问题。统筹建立常态化防止返贫致贫机制，在组织领导、社会动员、考核监督、监测预警、识别帮扶等方面建立起常态化管理运行机制。

During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period [2026–2030], to promote stable increases in farmers’ incomes, first, we must increase policy support. In 2025, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in China reached 24,456 yuan, a real increase of 6% over the previous year, but the challenges to sustained and stable income growth are increasing and the difficulty is growing. Therefore, we must strengthen the support and coordination of policies such as prices, subsidies, and insurance, following the approach of “stabilizing income, extending the chain, increasing employment, and expanding consumption,” and increase support for farmers’ income growth. Second, we must develop county-level industries that enrich the people, promoting nearby and local employment and income growth for migrant workers. We should leverage the role of “local specialties” to form a pattern of “one county, one industry” and “one village, one product.” We should build a modern rural industrial system with distinctive local characteristics, fully tap and expand the multiple functions of agriculture, and promote the coordinated linkage of the industrial chain, value chain, and supply chain. We should give full play to the important roles of specialized cooperatives and their joint organizations, leading enterprises, specialized service companies, and collective economic organizations, creating a community of shared interests across the entire rural industrial chain. Third, we must focus on breaking down the urban-rural dual structure and promote integrated urban-rural development. We should scientifically and orderly promote the urbanization of agricultural transfer populations and improve supporting services for their employment, housing, education, and medical care. We should promote the two-way flow of urban and rural factors, encouraging all types of talent to serve and start businesses in rural areas. We should legally protect the rights of farmers who have settled in cities to their contracted land, homestead use, and collective income distribution, and explore methods for voluntary and compensated withdrawal. We should implement large-scale vocational skills training, promote the precise matching of training programs with job requirements, and promote stable employment for migrant workers.

“十五五”时期，促进农民稳定增收，一是加大政策支持力度。2025年，我国农村居民人均可支配收入达24456元、比上年实际增长6%，但持续稳定增收的挑战增多，难度加大，因此要强化价格、补贴、保险等政策支持和协同，按照“稳收益、延链条、增就业、扩消费”的思路，加大农民增收支持力度。二是发展县域富民产业，促进农民工就近就地就业增收。发挥“土特产”作用，形成“一县一业”“一村一品”格局。构建各具特色的现代乡村产业体系，充分挖掘和拓展农业的多种功能，促进产业链、价值链、供应链协调联动。充分发挥专业合作社及其联合组织、龙头企业、专业服务公司、集体经济组织等的重要作用，打造乡村产业全链利益共同体。三是着力破除城乡二元结构，促进城乡融合发展。科学有序推进农业转移人口市民化，并完善其就业、住房、教育、医疗等配套服务。推动城乡要素双向流动，激励各类人才下乡服务和创业就业。依法维护进城落户农民土地承包权、宅基地使用权、集体收益分配权，探索建立自愿有偿退出的办法。实施大规模职业技能培训，促进培训项目与岗位需求精准匹配，推动农民工稳岗就业。

(Author: Peng Wei, Researcher at the Hubei Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Deputy Director of the Research Center for Urban-Rural Integrated Development at the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：彭玮，系湖北省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心研究员、湖北省社会科学院城乡融合发展研究中心副主任）