Combine harvesters reap wheat in a village in Handan, Hebei Province. Photo: IC PHOTO

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On Feb. 23, China unveiled its No. 1 Central Document for 2025, outlining measures to deepen rural reform and accelerate comprehensive rural revitalization. This marks the 13th consecutive annual No. 1 Central Document focused on agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2013.

Reform at core

Reform has long been the engine of China’s social and economic transformation. More than four decades ago, China’s reform and opening-up began in rural areas, sparking profound changes in agriculture and fundamentally improving the lives of rural residents.

Looking back on the evolution of China’s rural and agricultural development, reform has consistently played a decisive role. Tang Lixia, a professor from the College of Humanities and Development Studies at China Agricultural University, highlighted the far-reaching impact of the household responsibility system, which formed the core of reform to China’s basic rural operating system. Replacing collective farming by contracting cultivated land to all village households, this reform generated institutional benefits that paved the way for China’s rapid industrialization.

As urbanization advanced, China introduced the “three rights separation” system, distinguishing ownership, contracting, and management rights over rural land. This ensured that small farmers retained land-contracting rights and a stable source of property-based income while also facilitating larger, more modern agricultural operations. Tang emphasized that this year’s No. 1 Central Document continues the tradition of reform-driven progress, aiming to boost agricultural productivity, revitalize rural communities, and improve farmers’ incomes.

Food security critical

Food security is a cornerstone of national security, and this year’s No. 1 Central Document lays out a systematic approach to strengthening China’s capacity to ensure a steady supply of key agricultural products.

Tang underlined the dual strategic importance of food security. Externally, as global food supply chains experience increasing disruptions, securing stable domestic food production is essential for national resilience. Internally, the improving policy framework enhances institutional advantages and reinforces farmer incentives, injecting lasting momentum into rural revitalization.

Leveraging science and technology

This year’s No. 1 Central Document emphasizes the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture in light of local conditions. Wei Longbao, a professor from the China Academy for Rural Development at Zhejiang University, explained that the essence of this initiative is leveraging science and technology to overcome bottlenecks in agricultural production factors, thereby achiving efficient, intelligent, and sustainable development in agriculture. Key drivers include technological innovation, improvements in labor quality, and modernization of agricultural management systems.

Positioning new quality productive forces as a core engine for reinforcing guarantees for the supply of important agricultural products like grain marks a historic leap in agricultural production from a focus on increasing production volume to efficiency and higher-quality output, Wei said.

Promoting urban-rural integration

A key highlight of this year’s No. 1 Central Document is its emphasis on strengthening county-level industries to foster rural prosperity. This signals the strategic deepening of China’s urban-rural integration, with counties playing a pivotal role.

Counties are at the forefront of efforts to break the long-entrenched dual urban-rural structure, serving as crucial hubs for bridging agriculture and industry, as well as cities and the countryside. Innovations in the market-based allocation of county-level resources can optimize the distribution of factors like capital and labor.

Wei pointed to Zhejiang Province’s decades-old “Green Rural Revival Program” as a prime example of how counties can drive rural revitalization. The program seeks to comprehensively renovate 10,000 administrative villages across the province, with 1,000 of them developed into model villages exemplifying all-around prosperity. Through a holistic approach to planning—integrating industrial development, infrastructure upgrades, and public services—counties have established dynamic channels for the two-way flow of factors between urban and rural areas. Leveraging industrial revitalization to elevate county-level economic capacity, this strategy not only attracts capital and technology from cities into rural regions but also creates opportunities for rural residents to achieve localized urbanization without needing to migrate, fostering growth drivers amid industrial integration. 

Edited by CHEN MIRONG