The strictest system for farmland protection is implemented to ensure national food security

At the start of the new year, on January 5, the State Council held a video conference in Beijing on the designation of permanent basic farmland and the management of agricultural land for facilities. This video conference, which concerns national food security, can be said to be a meeting in history for implementing the strictest farmland protection policy.

From the important instructions made before the meeting by Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, we can easily grasp several profound meanings.

“China has a large population and little land, and at all times we must hold the red line of farmland and hold the red line of basic farmland.” China's population now accounts for 19.1% of the world's total, while the country's farmland area is only 1.826 billion mu, accounting for just 7% of the world's farmland area. As the world's first major population, the issue of feeding itself must be solved by relying on this farmland. If the red line of 1.8 billion mu of farmland cannot be held, then the food security problem of more than 1.3 billion people cannot be guaranteed.

“We must insist on paying equal attention to both quantity and quality, strictly designate permanent basic farmland, strictly implement special protection, tighten the ‘fence’ of farmland protection, and build a solid cornerstone for national food security.” China's farmland is not only limited in quantity, but its quality is also worrying.

According to the “National Farmland Quality Grade Bulletin” released by the Ministry of Agriculture in December 2014, the quality grades of the country's 1.826 billion mu of farmland (pre-Second National Land Survey land data) are divided from high to low into grades one to ten. Among them, the farmland area evaluated as grades one to three is 498 million mu, accounting for 27.3% of the total farmland area. This part of the farmland has relatively high basic soil fertility and basically no obstacle factors, and agricultural production should be carried out in a way that combines use and nurturing to ensure that farmland quality rises steadily. The farmland area evaluated as grades four to six is 818 million mu, accounting for 44.8% of the total farmland area. The environmental and climatic conditions of this part of the farmland are basically suitable, farmland infrastructure construction has a certain foundation, and obstacle factors are not obvious, making it a key area and important breakthrough for future grain production increases. The farmland area evaluated as grades seven to ten is 510 million mu, accounting for 27.9% of the total farmland area. This part of the farmland has relatively poor basic soil fertility, prominent production obstacle factors, and is difficult to fundamentally improve in a short time, so construction of farmland infrastructure and the intrinsic quality of the farmland should be carried out continuously.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Land and Resources, a considerable amount of China's farmland is affected by moderate to severe pollution and is mostly unsuitable for cultivation, and a certain amount of farmland has been affected in normal cultivation because mining-induced subsidence has damaged the surface soil layer and because of groundwater overexploitation. Calculated this way, the farmland suitable for stable use is just over 1.8 billion mu.

In recent years, with the rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization, many places have occupied large amounts of high-quality farmland, while most of the supplemented farmland has been low-grade, low-quality farmland.

Insisting on paying equal attention to both quantity and quality, designating permanent basic farmland, strictly implementing special protection, and tightening the “fence” of farmland protection is no longer a theoretical issue, but a very important practical issue that must be earnestly implemented.

“To transform the mode of agricultural development and advance agricultural modernization, the development of facility agriculture is needed. It is necessary both to clarify its special land-use policy and to strictly standardize land-use management, strengthen monitoring and supervision, and confront land violations head-on with severe punishment and accountability.”

At the end of last year, the Central Economic Work Conference emphasized: we must unswervingly accelerate the transformation of the agricultural development mode, and as quickly as possible shift to intensive development that pays equal attention to quantity, quality, and efficiency, focuses on improving competitiveness, focuses on agricultural technological innovation, and focuses on sustainability, and take the path of modern agricultural development featuring high output, safe products, resource conservation, and environmental friendliness. These major requirements are based on the long term, focus on the overall situation, grasp the key to modern agriculture construction, and point out the direction for advancing agricultural modernization.

The Central Rural Work Conference held in December 2014 clearly pointed out: agricultural modernization is the foundation and support of national modernization, and it is still a prominent “weak link” at present; the key and difficult points in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects still lie in the countryside. As China's economic development enters a new normal, accelerating agricultural modernization is of great significance for stabilizing growth, adjusting structure, and benefiting people's livelihood. Tapping the consumption potential of farmers, the largest group, can better give play to the basic role of consumption; agriculture and rural infrastructure and public services are backward and have huge demand for new investment, and making good use of this space can better give play to the key role of investment; making the agricultural industry bigger and stronger can form many new industries, new business forms, and new models, and cultivate new growth points for the economy.

“Local governments at all levels must earnestly shoulder their main responsibility and, in the course of deepening rural land system reform and advancing new urbanization, unswervingly implement the strictest farmland protection system and the strictest land conservation system, and leave fertile fields and green countryside to future generations.” Implementing the strictest farmland protection system and ensuring national food security is an unshirkable responsibility of local governments at all levels. If we grasp the local governments at all levels that bear the main responsibility, we grasp the key to the problem.