Tu Shengwei: The Connotation and Path of Agricultural Modernization with Chinese Characteristics
Advancing agricultural modernization is a major task in the comprehensive buildup of a socialist modern country and an inevitable requirement for achieving high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Without agricultural and rural modernization, there will be no modernization of the country as a whole," and "the basic requirement for building a strong agricultural country is the realization of agricultural modernization." These important expositions profoundly clarify the status and role of agricultural modernization within the overall framework of Chinese-path modernization. They systematically answer major theoretical and practical questions such as why and how to advance agricultural modernization in the New Era, providing fundamental guidance for developing modern agriculture and building a strong agricultural country.
Profoundly Understanding the Chinese Characteristics of Agricultural Modernization
From a global perspective, agricultural modernization exhibits certain common features; however, there is no universally applicable standard or model for its advancement. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The strong agricultural country we want to build and the agricultural modernization we want to realize must both share common features with modern strong agricultural countries abroad, and more importantly, possess Chinese characteristics based on our own national conditions." Building on long-term exploration and practice since the founding of the People’s Republic, and particularly since the reform and opening up, as well as the theoretical and practical breakthroughs since the 18th CPC National Congress [1], we have blazed a path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. This path possesses rich connotations.
Relying on the dual-tier management system. No development model can exist without a corresponding institutional framework. The basic management system for China's advancement of agricultural modernization is the dual-tier management system, which integrates unified and separate operations based on the household contract management system [2]. Practice has shown that this system possesses extraordinary adaptability and developmental potential, playing a key role in the long term within the entire rural institutional system. Over the past 40-plus years, China’s rural reforms have continued to deepen, and the dual-tier management system has been constantly innovated and refined, with more diverse forms of realizing and combining "unified" (collective) and "separate" (household) elements. This dual-tier management system conforms to China's national and agricultural conditions and possesses a foundational institutional advantage for liberating and developing rural productive forces.
Always upholding the principal status of farmers. Determining for whom and by whom the process is undertaken is a fundamental question concerning the impetus and objectives of agricultural modernization. A prominent feature of China's advancement of agricultural modernization is highlighting the principal status of farmers, respecting their wishes, and always prioritizing the protection of their interests. Practice has shown that by taking the persistence of the farmers' principal status and the enhancement of their well-being as the starting and ending points for all rural work—and by using farmers' support as the basis for formulating Party rural policies—the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the broad masses of farmers have been fully mobilized. Farmers have become the participants, supporters, and beneficiaries of agricultural modernization, thereby providing it with the firmest foundation and deepest strength.
Synergy between the effective market and the proactive government. The practice of agricultural modernization in China is also a process in which the government and the market each find their proper place and move forward together. During the refinement of the policy and market systems, the relationship between the government and the market has been continuously optimized through synergy. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in particular, major reforms such as the formation mechanism for agricultural product prices and the rural collective property rights system have been advanced. The policy system for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching the peasantry [3] has been continuously improved, effectively activating markets, factors of production, and market entities, thus becoming the source of momentum for the accelerated development of agricultural modernization. Simultaneously, the rural market system has been continuously perfected, the circulation system for agricultural products and market regulation mechanisms have been strengthened, the reform of market-based allocation of factors has progressed, and market operational efficiency has improved, driving the rapid transformation and upgrading from traditional to modern agriculture.
Long-term coexistence of "large" and "small" operational scales. Household management centered on smallholder farmers is the primary form of agricultural operation in China and a reality that agricultural development must face for a long time. In the process of advancing agricultural modernization, China has not adopted a singular model of large-scale management or large-scale mechanized operations. Instead, it maintains that agricultural operation scales should be large where appropriate and small where appropriate. We neither blindly pursue large scale nor rigidly cling to small scale; rather, we coordinate both "large" and "small," ensuring that smallholder farmers can organically connect with modern agricultural development through the leading role of large-scale management entities. From a practical perspective, large-scale agricultural production and management have the advantage of scale, while small-scale operations have their own adaptability; both play different but important roles in advancing agricultural modernization.
Integration of cultural heritage and green development. China possesses a long history of agrarian civilization, which contains concepts such as "the unity of heaven and humanity" [4] that are highly consistent with today's promoted concepts of harmony and low-carbon development. In the process of advancing agricultural modernization, we persist in basing our efforts on the historical depth of agrarian civilization and the contemporary requirements for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. We have deeply implemented projects to inherit and protect agrarian culture, continuously promoted the comprehensive green transformation of agricultural development, and significantly increased the level of green agricultural development. The empowering role of agrarian culture is increasingly evident, and new business forms and models integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism are constantly emerging. The inheritance and development of excellent agrarian culture provide rich nourishment for the advancement of agricultural modernization in China.
Accurately Grasping the Construction Requirements for Agricultural Modernization
Currently, the internal and external environments for China's "Three Rural" [5] development are undergoing profound changes, manifesting many new trends and features, which place new requirements on the advancement of agricultural modernization.
Greater emphasis on cultivating new quality productive forces in agriculture. New quality productive forces are advanced productive forces where innovation plays the leading role, breaking away from traditional economic growth modes and development paths. For a long time, China's traditional agricultural development relied primarily on experience accumulated over generations and the input of physical factors. Due to slow technological progress and a lack of capital accumulation, it often exhibited low production efficiency. Advancing agricultural modernization is, in essence, a deep-seated change in the paradigm of agricultural development. Comprehensively improving agricultural total factor productivity is inseparable from cultivating new quality productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. Throughout global agricultural history, every major technological breakthrough brought by a scientific and technological revolution has significantly propelled agricultural productive forces and brought about a qualitative leap in the modernization process. Currently, a new round of agricultural scientific and technological revolution, characterized by biotechnology and information technology, is birthing major breakthroughs. To accelerate agricultural modernization, we must speed up the cultivation of new quality productive forces in agriculture to lead modern agricultural development.
Greater emphasis on deepening reform to enhance endogenous momentum. Modernization can proceed more smoothly and sustainably only if it possesses the endogenous momentum to continuously expand forward. While China's agricultural support policy system is increasingly refined and agricultural investment grows steadily—greatly improving production conditions and promoting sustained development—the mechanism for endogenous momentum in agricultural modernization remains incomplete. Under the new situation, solving the various contradictions and problems facing China's agricultural development requires not only steadily increasing the efficiency of support policies but, more importantly, enhancing the endogenous power of development through deep-seated reform. We must promote reforms in key areas and crucial links with greater determination and intensity, while emphasizing the synergy and systemic integration of reforms to continuously improve the systematic, holistic, and synergetic nature of reform.
Greater emphasis on smoothing the cycle between industry and agriculture, and between urban and rural areas. China's modernization is a "parallel" process involving the overlapping development of industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization. Practice shows that an interdependent relationship exists between industrialization and agricultural modernization, and urbanization can proceed alongside agricultural modernization without conflict. In the coming period, as China's new-type industrialization advances, urbanization enters a period of stable development, and informatization provides broad empowerment, we must focus on smoothing the cycle between industry and agriculture and between urban and rural areas. This involves deeply applying advanced technologies, modern equipment, and management concepts to the construction of agricultural industrial chains. Simultaneously, by promoting the urbanization of the agricultural transfer population [6], we can create more space for moderate-scale agricultural operations, promote the orderly flow and optimized allocation of resource factors between industrial and agricultural sectors and between urban and rural areas, and ensure smooth connection across production, distribution, circulation, and consumption, thereby continuously improving agricultural labor productivity.
Greater emphasis on promoting green and low-carbon agricultural development. Green is the base color of agriculture, and ecology is its foundation. Promoting green agricultural development is a profound revolution in the concept of agricultural development, concerning national food security, resource security, and ecological security, as well as the well-being of the current generation and the sustainable development of future generations. The further agricultural modernization advances, the more urgent the requirement to accelerate the transformation of agricultural development modes. Current supply and demand patterns for agricultural products in China are undergoing profound changes. We must move faster to change the inertial mindset of pursuing only yield growth, integrate the concept of green development into the entire process of agricultural production, and accelerate innovations in development models, integrated technologies, and institutional mechanisms. This will facilitate the development of resource-saving and environment-friendly agriculture, improve resource utilization and land yield rates, and achieve the organic unity of increasing supply, raising incomes, and protecting the ecology.
Greater emphasis on maintaining agricultural industrial security. Under open conditions, China's advancement of agricultural modernization should not, and cannot, be carried out within a closed system. The reality of China's large population, limited land, and super-large scale of supply and demand also dictates that it is neither possible nor realistic to achieve complete self-sufficiency in all agricultural products solely through domestic means. Advancing agricultural modernization requires coordinating the relationship between open development and industrial security, further promoting high-level maritime and land-based opening up in agriculture, and actively yet prudently utilizing international agricultural product markets and foreign agricultural resources. At the same time, we must recognize that in recent years, the rise of trade protectionism and intensified geopolitical conflicts have presented major challenges to the secure operation of global agricultural supply chains. In promoting the opening up of agriculture, we must master the appropriate intensity and pace, enhance risk prevention and control capabilities, and improve the resilience of agricultural industrial and supply chains.
Key Measures for Solidly Advancing Agricultural Modernization
Overall, agricultural modernization is the profound foundation of Chinese-path modernization and determines its ultimate quality. On the new journey, we must anchor ourselves to the goal of building a strong agricultural country and persist in the path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. This is a complex systemic project; we must identify the key points of focus to drive the construction of agricultural modernization forward.
Comprehensively consolidating the foundation of food security. Ensuring a stable and secure supply of grain and important agricultural products is always the top priority in building a strong agricultural country. No matter how far agricultural modernization progresses, safeguarding national food security is a bottom line that must be firmly held. We must deeply implement the strategy of "storing grain in the land and in technology" [7], strengthening the foundations of facilities, technology, equipment, policies, and institutions. We must comprehensively strengthen the protection and construction of farmland, enabling farmers to grow the best grain with the best technology, and use more refined mechanisms to ensure that farmers are willing to grow grain and can make a profit. We should adapt to the diversified food consumption and nutritional health needs of the masses, broaden the spatial scope of agricultural production, develop food resources through multiple channels, and build a diversified food supply system to ensure the effective supply of all types of food.
Developing new quality productive forces in agriculture according to local conditions. The diversity of China's spatial resource endowments and the differences in regional development levels dictate that cultivating new quality productive forces in agriculture cannot follow a single model or standard; we must persist in taking measures tailored to local conditions and applying precise efforts. Crucially, we must leverage the leading role of scientific and technological innovation, promote collaborative research among agricultural tech forces, and strengthen the supply of original innovation. We should strive for greater breakthroughs in "chassis" (foundational) technologies, core germplasm [8], key agricultural machinery and equipment, and synthetic drugs. Simultaneously, we must focus on the actual needs of agricultural development, promote the deep integration of agricultural scientific innovation with industrial innovation, and accelerate the large-scale application of scientific achievements to transform more agricultural research into actual productive forces.
Focusing on building a modern rural industrial system. The objective of advancing agricultural modernization is to build agriculture into a modern, large-scale industry. This requires both the concentration of various advanced production factors in agriculture and a systematic reshaping of the entire agricultural industrial system. To this end, we must work effectively on "local specialties" [9], focusing on enhancing the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas. We should expand and strengthen processing and circulation, leisure tourism, and rural services. We must promote the coordinated development of grain, cash crops, and fodder; the simultaneous advancement of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries; the connection of production, processing, and marketing; and the integrated development of agriculture, culture, and tourism. This will create a modern rural industrial system with a more open structure, more complete industrial components, more diverse functions, greater holistic resource utilization, and a more sustainable development model.
Perfecting the institutional mechanisms for the market-based allocation of factors. Advancing agricultural modernization involves many reform tasks, and the innovative allocation of urban and rural factors is a vital entry point. In the context of urban-rural integrated development, the key to optimizing factor allocation lies in handling the relationship between people and land. Based on the social mobility of the urban-rural labor force and talent, as well as development needs, we must optimize the allocation of land resources. To do so, we must consolidate and perfect the basic rural management system, orderly progress with pilots for extending second-round land contracts for another 30 years upon expiry [10], and stabilize rural land contract relationships. We should explore methods for the voluntary and compensated withdrawal of farmers' "three rights" [11], effectively guarantee the reasonable land needs of new-type agricultural management and service entities, and promote the moderate-scale management of agriculture.