Integrated development of rural industries must consolidate the foundation at the field level
To accelerate agricultural modernization and promote the integrated development of rural industries, it is necessary to strengthen care for the source of agriculture. On the one hand, accelerate the application of science and technology in agricultural production; on the other hand, on the basis of respecting farmers' wishes, advance moderate-scale operations in various forms, and guide financial resources to speed up their connection with “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers”
The Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Integrated Development of the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Industries in Rural Areas, recently issued by the General Office of the State Council, proposed developing agriculture with an industrial mindset, taking market demand as the guide, taking the improvement of the interest linkage mechanism as the core, and taking innovation in institutions, technology, and business models as the driving force, focusing on building a modern industrial system in which agriculture is integrated with the secondary and tertiary industries,
In fact, “developing agriculture with an industrial mindset” is not a new formulation. The path of agricultural modernization in developed countries has generally been to develop agriculture in an industrial manner. If agriculture does not develop in the direction of industrialization, agricultural modernization will lose its support; conversely, only by fundamentally transforming the mode of agricultural development can farmers' income increases and efficiency gains be guaranteed.
⟦NL> In some areas of China's agricultural industrialization, characteristics such as standardization, specialization, scaling up, and even linkage between the secondary and tertiary industries have already emerged, bearing an extreme resemblance to the production characteristics of industrial products. But it must also be seen that the inherent weakness of agriculture determines that it is an industry that must bear more risks than industry and commerce, and this weakness is especially reflected in the production stage. Therefore, the author believes that to accelerate agricultural modernization and promote the integrated development of rural industries, it is necessary to strengthen care for the source of agriculture and consolidate the “field-level” foundation of agricultural production from the following aspects.
To strengthen care for the source of agriculture, the application of science and technology in agricultural production should be further accelerated. China is currently one of the countries with the scarcest per capita agricultural resources in the world, with less than 9 mu of land per household on average. Against this backdrop, to further promote quality improvement and efficiency gains in agricultural production, it is necessary to take the route of technological substitution and accelerate the application of science and technology in agricultural production, especially at the field level, such as promoting water-saving irrigation technology and raising the level of agricultural mechanization, so as to improve agricultural production efficiency and reduce production costs.
To strengthen care for the source of agriculture, moderate-scale operations in various forms should be advanced on the basis of respecting farmers' wishes. Ultra-small-scale operations are not conducive to the specialized, standardized, and technology-driven development of agricultural production, and make it difficult to achieve the goal of agricultural modernization. At present, China encourages the development of “family farms” and, on the basis of adhering to household-based agricultural production and operation, seeks to promote agricultural efficiency and increase farmers' income through moderate-scale operations, which conforms to the new trend of agricultural development. At present, it is also necessary to continue doing a good job in the confirmation, registration, and certification of land contractual management rights, establish a standardized land transfer mechanism, and guide new types of agricultural business entities, including family farm operators, to move toward scaling up, specialization, and intensive operation.
To strengthen care for the source of agriculture, financial resources should also be guided to speed up their connection with “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.” In China's agricultural production stage, small farmers account for a relatively large proportion, and their need to develop production and continue to grow must have strong financial support. In recent years, the central “No. 1 Document” has emphasized the supporting role of finance for “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.” However, due to problems such as information asymmetry and high costs, small farmers often find it difficult to obtain financial support. In this regard, the author believes that the establishment of endogenous cooperative organizations in rural areas should be actively promoted, and on the basis of mutual fund assistance within the organizations, the problem of information asymmetry between farmers and financial institutions should be solved, creating favorable conditions for policy-based finance and commercial finance to support farmers in developing production from the supply side. In addition, local governments should also accelerate exploration in strengthening fiscal and financial cooperation and advancing reform of the property rights system, issue sustained and stable supporting policies, and guide bank funds to better benefit “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.”