The family operation of small agricultural households does not adapt to the development of modern agriculture. Photo: FARMERS’ DAILY

An effective way to increase farmers’ incomes and improve the competitiveness of agriculture is to develop a diverse range of agricultural operations and foster new types of agricultural businesses. Both in the immediate future and for some time to come, the family operation of small agricultural households will be the main mode of agricultural operation. Some scholars hold that while we encourage the development of a diverse range of agricultural operations, measures should be taken to improve the supporting policies for small agricultural households and to promote the integration of small agricultural households with modern agriculture.

Li Guoxiang, a research fellow from the Rural Development Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that we should improve commercial services catering to small agricultural households, such as providing mechanical equipment, so as to solve problems like lack of labor force, lack of production factors and low efficiency. In addition, we should invest more in education and training to let farmers, particularly young people, return to and stay in rural areas.
 

Kong Xiangzhi, a professor from the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development under Renmin University of China, said that the government should push forward reforms of agriculture in rural areas, formulate supporting policies, guide regional governments to clarify the specific measures for extending contracts after the second round of land contracts expires, and ensure the stable transition of policies and the prioritization of the development of agriculture and rural areas. First, we should ensure the prioritization of investment in agricultural and rural projects in terms of resource allocation, especially of fiscal resource allocation. Second, we should deepen the reform of the rural land system, continuously improve basic operations in rural areas, and push ahead with the separation of land ownership, the right of contracting land and the right of operation, so as to lay an institutional foundation for increasing farmers’ incomes. Third, we should deepen the reform of collective property rights and raise the value of collective property in rural areas.

Wei Longbao, deputy dean of the China Academy for Rural Development at Zhejiang University, suggested that we should invest more capital in rural areas, attach great importance to the reform of the land system and the cultivation of a high-quality labor force, and break the systematic and institutional barriers holding back the free flow and equal exchange of factors between urban and rural areas. We should regard the development of agriculture and rural areas as a field with high priority in terms of fiscal insurance and financial services. In addition, we should extend the functional boundary of traditional agriculture, improve the competitiveness of the agriculture industry, improve the structure of the supply of agricultural products, extend the industrial chain of agricultural products, and speed up the building of an environmentally friendly, safe, intensive and well-reasoned modern agricultural production system with high yield, high efficiency and high quality.

edited by SU XUAN