Can fruit trees be planted on farmland? Understanding the relevant regulations in one article

Farmland is the basic resource and condition on which humanity depends for survival. Entering the 21st century, China's population has continued to grow, farmland has gradually decreased, and people's living standards have continued to rise. To maintain sustainable agricultural development, the quantity and quality of farmland must first be ensured. So, can fruit trees be planted on farmland?

1. Can fruit trees be planted on farmland?

Planting fruit trees on general farmland is permitted, but fruit trees may not be planted on basic farmland. Paragraph 3 of Article 36 of the Land Administration Law provides: it is prohibited to occupy basic farmland for developing forestry and fruit industries or for digging ponds to raise fish.

2. What is the difference between basic farmland and farmland?

1. Farmland refers to land used for growing crops, including cultivated land, newly developed, consolidated and reclaimed land, fallow land, and rotational fallow land used for grass-crop rotation; land mainly used for growing crops with scattered fruit trees, mulberry trees or other trees interspersed; and reclaimed tidal flats and coastal flats that guarantee one harvest per year on average. Farmland also includes ditches, canals, roads and field ridges less than one meter wide in the south and less than two meters wide in the north. Farmland can further be divided into five types: irrigated paddy fields, rainfed fields, irrigated land, dry land and vegetable land.

2. Basic farmland is farmland that, according to the demand for agricultural products from the population and socio-economic development in a certain period, is determined under the overall land use plan as farmland that must not be occupied. Basic farmland is part of farmland, and mainly the part of farmland with high yields and good quality. Generally speaking, farmland designated into basic farmland protection areas is all basic farmland. Basic farmland protection areas refer to specific protection areas determined in accordance with the overall land use plan and legal procedures in order to implement special protection of basic farmland.

In addition, permanent basic farmland means implementing permanent protection of basic farmland. This concept was proposed in 2008 at the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. “Permanent basic farmland” means basic farmland whose use must not be changed under any circumstances and must not be diverted to other uses in any way.

Whether it is farmland, basic farmland, or other types of land, all are precious resources on Earth. Making rational use of every inch of land is a responsibility we should fulfill.