In February 2023, China released its “No. 1 Central Document,” which outlines three essential tasks for the year. First, the Chinese government must guarantee national food security and ensure that people do not sink back into poverty in large numbers. Second, with a focus on the demands of overall rural vitalisation, it will robustly promote key work related to areas such as rural improvement and development. Third, emphasis has been placed on strengthening policy guarantees and institutional innovation.
In order to guarantee national food security and ensure that people do not sink back into poverty in large numbers, it is necessary to:
1. Rapidly stabilise production and supply of grain and other important agricultural products.
Every effort must be made to support grain production, increase edible oil production by expanding soybean cultivation, develop modern facility agriculture, build a diversified food supply system, and optimise the production and regulation of grain and other important agricultural products.
2. Strengthen agricultural infrastructure.
The government should strengthen protection of cultivated land and land-use supervision as well as the development of high-standard farmland, water conservancy infrastructure, and agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation capacity.
3. Increase support for agricultural technology and equipment.
The government plans to promote the development of key agricultural technologies and the implementation of vitalisation actions related to the seed industry, accelerate the research and development and promotion of advanced agricultural equipment and machinery, and continue to pursue green agricultural development.
4. Consolidate and expand upon the poverty alleviation achievements that have been made thus far.
The government is firmly committed to ensuring that people do not sink back into poverty in large numbers, helping stimulate intrinsic development momentum in areas where people have emerged from poverty after receiving support with the endeavour, and stabilising and improving assistance policies.
In order to address the demands of overall rural vitalisation and make progress with key rural development and construction work, it is necessary to:
1. Promote high-quality development of rural industries.
Efforts will be made to strengthen and expand processing and distribution of agricultural products, accelerate the development of modern rural service industries, cultivate new rural industries and business formats, and develop and expand industries that help people become more prosperous at the county level.
2. Create new strategies and opportunities that enable farmers to increase their incomes and achieve greater prosperity.
The government aims to promote rural employment and strategies and opportunities that enable people to increase their incomes in these areas as well as agricultural operation efficiency and endow farmers with greater property rights and interests.
3. Steadfastly promote the construction of liveable, work-friendly, beautified rural environments. It intends to strengthen rural planning and development, resolutely promote the improvement of rural living environments, continue to enhance rural infrastructure, and upgrade public service capabilities.
In order to emphasise and strengthen policy guarantees and institutional innovation, it is necessary to:
diversify and improve rural vitalisation investment methods, strengthen the creation of rural talent teams, and promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas at the county level.
