How can the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas be accelerated?
After entering the 21st century, with the acceleration of China's industrialization and urbanization, the continuous improvement of agricultural and rural infrastructure, and the accelerated application of information technology, a tendency toward the integrated development of agriculture with the secondary and tertiary industries began to appear across the country, such as developing sightseeing agriculture, leisure agriculture and urban agriculture in urban suburbs, developing information agriculture, facility agriculture and factory farming in developed areas, and developing high-end value-added agriculture in major agricultural production areas, establishing agricultural product processing bases, and setting up direct-sales markets for agricultural products. This series of forms of integrated development of agriculture with the secondary and tertiary industries has driven the development of local agricultural industries, the improvement of the rural landscape and the increase of farmers' incomes, and has very high social and economic effects. The 2015 No. 1 Central Document clearly proposed accelerating the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in China's rural areas. The integration of rural three industries will become a new growth pole driving the development of China's agricultural and rural economy. For this new thing, we must fully understand its strategic significance and actively promote it.
Fully understand the strategic significance of rural three-industry integration
1. The significant improvement of the national economy and the marked improvement of the balance of the industrial structure have laid a solid economic and industrial foundation for achieving the rapid development of three-industry integration
Since the reform and opening up, China's economic development has achieved achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. The gross domestic product jumped from 364.5 billion yuan in 1978 to 51,894.2 billion yuan in 2012. Its ranking in the world by total economic volume rose from tenth in 1978 to second in 2010; the average annual growth rate of GDP was 9.8%, while the average annual growth rate of the world economy over the same period was only 2.8%. China's ranking in the world by total economic volume has risen steadily, and its contribution to world economic growth has continued to increase. According to the latest statistical data, the gross domestic product in 2014 was 63,646.3 billion yuan, an increase of 7.4% over 2013. At the same time, the proportions among the primary, secondary and tertiary industries have been adjusted somewhat, with the proportion of the primary industry declining and the proportions of the secondary and tertiary industries gradually increasing. The great increase in total economic volume has laid the economic foundation for the development of three-industry integration. Changes in the structure of the three industries, especially the development of processing industry and the development of leisure services, have created conditions for three-industry integration.
2. The relatively good development momentum of agriculture itself and the continuous improvement of the level of industrialization have created favorable industrial conditions for the integrated development of rural three industries
With the advancement of reform and opening up, China's agricultural industry has developed rapidly. Especially since entering the 21st century, China's agriculture has become more open, and large quantities of advanced foreign technology and low-priced, high-quality agricultural products have flowed into China, bringing new opportunities for agricultural development. At present, the development momentum of agricultural industrialized operation across the country is strong. Industrialized operation has developed from being first implemented in a few areas to overall advancement on a large nationwide scale, and from “a single flower blooming alone” in a few industries and some products to “a hundred flowers blooming together” in many industries and many products. In recent years, all localities, in accordance with the requirements of the central government, have vigorously promoted the development of new types of business entities, and agricultural social service organizations are burgeoning. All of this has provided a solid main force for the development of China's three-industry integration.
3. The contradiction between the “eleven consecutive increases” in grain output and the intensifying constraints of resources and the environment requires exploring new ways of industrial development
China's grain output has achieved “eleven consecutive increases”, but the constraints of resources and the environment have further intensified, and the restrictions on the sustainable development of agriculture have become increasingly prominent. Three-industry integration is an established policy of the central government, a strategic choice for China to achieve the “transformation of development modes and adjustment of structure” in agriculture, and an effective path to improve agricultural efficiency and expand farmers' income growth. In the future, in accordance with the “general requirements of stabilizing grain production and increasing income, improving quality and efficiency, and innovation-driven development”, we should, through policy and institutional innovation, optimize the environment for advancing the integrated development of rural three industries, promote the sustained, healthy and orderly development of three-industry integration, and enable agriculture, rural areas and farmers to better share the fruits of the integrated development of rural three industries.
4. Promoting the integrated development of rural three industries is an important path for China to build a new urban-rural relationship, improve the rural environment and promote rural consumption
From the perspective of urban and rural income, farmers have not obtained the benefits corresponding to rapid economic growth. Farmers have made enormous contributions in the process of the country's industrialization and modernization. Although most farmers' incomes have increased somewhat and their living standards have improved somewhat, their disadvantaged position has not changed. Three-industry integration is a new direction for increasing farmers' incomes and developing agriculture in the new period. It can change the original farming model, production model and sales model, extend the agricultural industrial chain, and enable farmers to enjoy more of the value added brought by the extension of the agricultural industrial chain, narrow the urban-rural income gap, and create a new urban-rural relationship. Moreover, by integrating the primary industry with the secondary and tertiary industries, rural three-industry integration can protect the environment more effectively and play a positive role in the adjustment of the rural industrial structure.
5. Developing rural three-industry integration can fully draw on international experience
Some countries, especially Japan, South Korea and some countries in Europe, have already gone through or are in the process of vigorously developing modern friendly agriculture. After analyzing the practices of these countries, it is not difficult to see that these countries have many common features in the process of developing modern agriculture and promoting the integration of the three agricultural industries. They always put farmers' interests first, give full play to the role of agricultural associations and farmers' cooperative organizations, and have sound agricultural training systems. The governments of various countries have done a great deal of work in supporting efforts such as agricultural subsidies, the formulation and promulgation of laws and regulations, and all-round services. Under the severe background of obvious resource and environmental constraints and continuously rising costs of agricultural production in China, we should more actively learn from advanced foreign experience, vigorously promote the integration of China's rural three industries, strive to transform agricultural production modes, promote farmers' income growth, and achieve the sustainable development of modern agriculture.