Development of appropriately scaled agricultural operations must be pragmatic
As China's industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization advance rapidly, a large rural workforce has shifted away, the level of agricultural material and technical equipment has risen steadily, and the transfer of farmers' contracted land management rights has clearly accelerated, so developing appropriately scaled operations faces favorable conditions and opportunities. But at present, people still have some misconceptions about appropriately scaled agricultural operations. The key to promoting the healthy development of appropriately scaled agricultural operations is being pragmatic.
The benefits of scaled operations cannot be viewed from a single aspect. Scaled operation refers to the degree of concentration and combination of the three factors of operation - labor, means of labor, and objects of labor. When the target benefit reaches its optimum, the concentration and combination of these factors has reached an appropriate scale of operation. Whether the scale of operation is appropriate depends on whether the benefit reaches its optimal degree. The benefit mentioned here is not one-sided, but comprehensive. First, ensure the stable development of agricultural production. If this is not achieved, it shows that the scaled operation is a failure. Second, raise agricultural labor productivity. Raising the output per unit time of each laborer is an inherent requirement of scaled operation. Third, raise land output rate. Scaled operation must be combined with intensive operation; if land concentration for scaled operation is carried out under extensive operation, the operating benefit cannot reach its optimum. Fourth, raise resource utilization rate, mainly raising land utilization rate and achieving optimal allocation of labor. Fifth, raise the income of agricultural operating entities, which is the fundamental driving force for operating entities to develop scaled operations. Therefore, whether the scale of operation is appropriate must be comprehensively evaluated from the perspectives of the country's macroeconomic benefit, farmers' microeconomic benefit and social benefit.
The scale of agricultural operation cannot simply be pursued as large. Developing appropriately scaled operations should balance efficiency and fairness, and prevent the tendency to divorce from reality, violate farmers' wishes and one-sidedly pursue ultra-large-scale operations. Scaled agricultural operation requires concentrating land, but concentrating land is not the goal; the goal is to give full play to the synergistic effect of various production factors, reduce agricultural production costs, and improve agricultural benefits and competitiveness. The scale of land operation is not the bigger the better, but must fit the actual conditions of development. At present, China's rural average cultivated land per household is about half a hectare, and the labor force engaged in grain production is about 150 million people. If the standard is an average scale of 120 mu per household in northern regions and 60 mu per household in double-cropping regions in the south, only 43 million agricultural laborers would be needed. This means that more than 100 million laborers would need to be transferred out of agriculture. If land is rapidly concentrated in the short term, it will create a large number of problems involving the transfer and employment of the rural labor force, bringing huge challenges to economic development and social stability. Therefore, to advance scaled agricultural operations, we cannot one-sidedly pursue large-scale, high-speed land concentration, but should focus on protecting farmers' interests; the transfer of contracted land management rights cannot push farmers out on a large scale, but should fully safeguard farmers' land rights and interests. At the current stage, a relatively reasonable scale of land operation in China's rural areas is 10 to 15 times the local average contracted land area per household, with farming income roughly equivalent to the income obtained from local secondary and tertiary industries. At the same time, appropriately scaled operation is a dynamic and relative concept; the standard of "appropriate" differs across different regions and different circumstances.
The forms of appropriately scaled operation cannot be pursued as uniform. Achieving appropriately scaled operation through land transfer is an important form, and areas with conditions should be encouraged to formulate supportive policies, guide farmers to transfer contracted land for the long term and promote their transfer employment. However, land transfer concentration is not the only form of achieving scaled operation. For example, scaled operation achieved by farmers voluntarily exchanging and consolidating land to solve the problem of fragmented contracted land, and scaled operation in agricultural production links achieved through socialized services, should all be encouraged. Farmers should also be encouraged to develop joint-household operations through jointly using agricultural machinery and carrying out joint marketing, and to develop various forms of farmers' cooperative organizations; encourage scaled operation across the entire agricultural industrial chain, including pre-production, mid-production and post-production, and through developing agricultural socialized services, achieve scaled operation in forms such as scaled supply of agricultural means of production, unified agricultural technology services and unified sales of agricultural products; encourage agricultural-related enterprises such as leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization to engage in agricultural product processing and circulation and agricultural socialized services, driving farmers and farmers' cooperatives to develop scaled operations; guide industrial and commercial capital to develop modern seed and seedling breeding, high-standard facility agriculture, scaled breeding and other modern planting and breeding industries suitable for enterprise-based operation, develop rural "four wastelands" resources, and develop diversified operations; support agricultural enterprises in establishing close interest linkage mechanisms with farmers and farmers' cooperatives to achieve reasonable division of labor and mutual benefit. At the same time, pay attention to giving play to the foundational role of household operation and promote the parallel development of scaled operation and household operation. Focus should be placed on cultivating family farms that use family members as the main labor force, take agriculture as the main source of income, and engage in specialized, intensive agricultural production, making them a vital force leading appropriately scaled operation and developing modern agriculture; encourage the integration of agriculture-related funds to build contiguous high-standard farmland, and give priority to transferring it to scaled operating entities such as family farms and specialized large households.
Cultivating new agricultural operating entities cannot be formalistic. Modern agriculture must be advanced by agricultural operating entities. To a certain extent, the quality of agricultural operating entities determines the level of agricultural modernization. We should innovate the agricultural production and operation system, steadily raise the degree of farmers' organization, cultivate new-type professional farmers, cultivate specialized large households and family farms, develop farmers' professional cooperatives, make leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization bigger and stronger, and accelerate the building of a new agricultural operating system that combines intensification, specialization, organization and socialization. Encourage and guide industrial and commercial capital to go to rural areas to develop modern planting and breeding industries suitable for enterprise-based operation, and input modern production factors and operating models into agriculture. Give play to the government's role in cultivating new-type agricultural operating entities, especially vigorously carry out education and training for new-type professional farmers, integrate education and training resources, carry out training in agricultural skills and operating capabilities around leading industries, expand the scale of demonstration training for rural practical talents and leaders, strive to build a system for cultivating, certifying and supporting new-type professional farmers and rural practical talents, establish a public-benefit farmer training system, and explore establishing a system for cultivating new-type professional farmers.