Modern agriculture opens a new chapter of development under the new normal
The Central Economic Work Conference, which closed recently, made a systematic exposition of the new normal of economic development while deeply analyzing the international and domestic economic situation, summarizing this year's work and deploying next year's economic work. The major strategic judgment of the “new normal of the economy” profoundly reveals the new changes in the stage of China's economic development and fully demonstrates the Central Committee's far-sighted strategic vision and unshaken strategic resolve. Understanding the new normal, adapting to the new normal and leading the new normal is not only the overarching logic of our country's economic development at present and for some time to come, but also the general guideline for agricultural and rural economic development.
To actively adapt to the new normal in agricultural and rural economic development, to make new achievements in rural reform under the new normal, and to reach a new realm in modern agriculture, we must understand the new stage of our country's economic development historically and dialectically. At present, this is a great opportunity for the transformational development of agriculture and also an inevitable stage for improving the quality and efficiency of agriculture. The “new” in the new normal means something different from the past, and the unsustainable development methods of the past must be abandoned; the “normal” in the new normal means relative stability, and the conditions for transforming the development mode are in place. Therefore, we must firmly grasp the overall characteristics and manifestations of the new normal, act in line with the trend, and unswervingly accelerate the transformation of the agricultural development mode, promptly shifting agriculture to intensive development that gives equal weight to quantity, quality and efficiency, focuses on improving competitiveness, focuses on agricultural technological innovation, and focuses on sustainability, and taking the path of modern agricultural development featuring high output, safe products, resource conservation and environmental friendliness.
Opening a new chapter in modern agricultural development under the new normal is the only way for a large traditional agricultural country to move toward becoming a modernized country, and it will also be a solid cornerstone for an ancient nation to stand among the nations of the world.
Financial resources are more abundant, technology is more advanced, drivers are gradually becoming more diverse, and vitality is increasingly being released——
The new normal provides new opportunities for modern agricultural development
Agricultural modernization, from the moment China embarked on the great journey of modernization, in the years when New China was full of waste and utterly impoverished, and in the era when our agriculture still relied more on ox-drawn plows, this goal had already been incorporated into the national strategic blueprint and tied together with the dream of the entire nation. The stars and moon turn, and times change. For more than 60 years, we have created tremendous achievements on the path of industrialization, completed relatively substantial accumulation in urbanization and informatization, and further consolidated the foundation and gathered energy for realizing agricultural modernization. Entering a new historical stage, the blueprint for modern agricultural development is clearer, the foundation is more solid, the requirements are more urgent, and the impetus is more sufficient. As China's economy enters the new normal, the trend of medium-to-high-speed growth, optimized structure, new drivers and multiple challenges, an irreversible development state, has brought major opportunities for modern agricultural development.
Abundant financial resources provide the material foundation for modern agricultural development. Under the new normal, our country's economy has shifted from high-speed growth to medium-to-high-speed growth. Although the growth rate has slowed, because the economic volume is huge, the actual increment is still considerable, and growth is becoming more stable, the drivers more diverse, and the quality more optimized. At present, our country has become the world's second-largest economy. In 2013, per capita GDP approached 7,000 US dollars, and national fiscal revenue was nearly 13 trillion yuan. On this basis, our country has continuously introduced various policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers and enrich rural areas, and has built an agricultural support and protection system. In 2013, central government fiscal spending on agriculture, rural areas and farmers exceeded 1.38 trillion yuan. The sustained and healthy development of the economy has provided a strong material guarantee for us to transform traditional agriculture and build modern agriculture.
Advanced technology provides a stronger driver for modern agricultural development. Under the new normal, with changes in population structure and rising factor costs, our country's economic development is shifting from factor-driven and investment-driven to innovation-driven. We unswervingly follow the path of strengthening the country through science and technology, break down institutional obstacles, enhance independent innovation capacity, and maximize the liberation and stimulation of the enormous potential contained in science and technology as the primary productive force. High and new technologies such as biology, information, new materials, new energy and advanced equipment manufacturing are widely applied in agriculture. An agricultural science and technology support system has initially been established, and the level of agricultural mechanization has increased year by year, becoming a strong engine for modern agricultural development.
The accelerated advancement of industrialization, urbanization and informatization provides a strong pulling force for modern agricultural development. Under the new normal, the rapid development of industrialization, urbanization and informatization has provided modern production factors, management methods and technological support for transforming traditional agriculture. At the same time, the transfer of a large population to cities and towns has also freed up space and created conditions for appropriately scaled agricultural operations. In recent years, the level of agricultural industrialization in our country has been rising day by day. New types of agricultural operating entities such as leading enterprises, farmer cooperatives, large growers and family farms have emerged as the times require, and the industrial forms and organizational forms required by modern agriculture are gradually taking shape.
The continuous deepening of rural reform injects new vitality into modern agricultural development. Under the new normal, we comprehensively deepen rural reform, and market vitality is further released. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Party emphasized improving the institutional mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development and forming a new type of worker-peasant and urban-rural relationship in which industry promotes agriculture, cities support the countryside, workers and peasants benefit each other, and urban and rural areas are integrated. It proposed many breakthrough reform measures in building a new type of agricultural operating system, promoting equal exchange of urban and rural factors and balanced allocation of public resources, and other areas. Deepening reform has once again become the main theme of our country's agricultural and rural economic development, and will certainly inject stronger impetus and more vitality into modern agricultural development.