How can the "three rural" issues be solved? Adopting new development concepts is key
The Central Rural Work Conference proposed that during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, agricultural and rural work must uphold the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing, firmly establish a strong awareness of weak links, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, and effectively lengthen agriculture, the short leg of the “synchronization of the four modernizations”, and shore up the weak link of rural areas in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. These “five concepts” point out the development thinking and development direction for agricultural and rural work in the next five years and even for a considerably long period to come.
Problems are the voice of the times, and concepts are the guide to practice. In the opening year of the “13th Five-Year Plan”, the starting point for agricultural and rural development is unprecedentedly high, the challenges are unprecedentedly great, and the tasks are unprecedentedly heavy, with achievements and difficulties intertwined and opportunities and challenges coexisting. To secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we must uphold new development concepts, use new concepts to solve new problems, use new concepts to respond to new challenges, and use new concepts to guide a new course, emancipate the mind, keep pace with the times, identify the pain points, and concentrate efforts at the crucial points, effectively lengthening the short leg of agriculture and shoring up the weak link of rural areas, promoting improvement in the “three rural” issues, and gaining the initiative in the overall situation.
Use the concept of innovation to stimulate the vitality of agricultural and rural development. At present, agricultural and rural development faces the problem of converting old and new drivers. To transform the agricultural development model and cultivate healthier and more sustainable new drivers of growth, the way out lies in innovation; to respond to the diminishing effects of policies and open up new policy dividends, innovation is urgently needed; to solve the problems of who will farm the land, how the land will be farmed, and who will build the new countryside, we must rely on innovation; to improve the reform of the rural collective property rights system, we can only rely on innovation. It is necessary to innovate the agricultural operation system and mechanism, vigorously advance innovation in agricultural science and technology, operation methods, and support and protection systems, and achieve innovation-driven agricultural development. It is necessary to innovate the support system for modern agricultural factors, advance structural reform on the supply side of agriculture, transform the agricultural development model, improve the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of agricultural development, and accelerate the pace of modern agricultural development.
Use the concept of coordination to shore up the weak links in agricultural and rural development. Coordinated urban-rural development is the only way to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and the “synchronization of the four modernizations” is an inevitable requirement for achieving national modernization. At present, the problem of unbalanced urban-rural development remains fairly prominent, and agricultural modernization is still the prominent short leg of the “synchronization of the four modernizations.” We must establish the concept of coordinated development, make efforts from both the government and the market, advance a new type of urbanization centered on people, and promote equal exchange of urban and rural factors, rational allocation, and equalization of public services. At the same time, we must actively guide the flow of modern factors such as urban capital, technology, talent and management to agriculture and rural areas, equip agriculture with the fruits of industrialization, transform agriculture with information technology, leverage rural areas with the power of urbanization, and use coordination to shore up the weak links in agricultural and rural development.
Use the concept of green to guide the direction of agricultural and rural development. Rice paddies are wetlands, forests are “carbon sinks,” grasslands and crops are vegetation, and agriculture is the main body of the ecosystem. Agriculture not only provides food, but also, through its ecological functions, adds greenery and luster to Beautiful China. At present, the two “tightening bands” of agricultural production resources and the environment are being drawn tighter and tighter, and the building of a new countryside also faces many challenges. We must use the concept of green development to guide the direction of agricultural and rural development, delimit red lines for the protection of agricultural space, plan mountains, rivers, forests, fields and lakes as a community of life, place sustainable agricultural development in a more important position, adjust and optimize the agricultural structure, vigorously develop resource-saving and environment-friendly agriculture, create new growth points for agricultural development, and build beautiful and ecologically livable villages.
⟦NL> Use the concept of openness to expand the space for agricultural and rural development. Against the background of global economic integration, China's agriculture is already in a fully open international environment and market. We must establish the concept of open development, make coordinated use of both international and domestic resources and markets, expand the strategic space for agricultural and rural development, and accelerate the formation of an agricultural opening pattern featuring orderly entry and exit, complementary advantages and mutual benefit. We must continue to uphold the national food security strategy of “taking ourselves as the mainstay, basing ourselves on domestic supply, ensuring production capacity, moderate imports, and technological support,” adhere to the organic combination of “bringing in” and “going out,” both safeguard supply and protect industries and farmers, seize major strategic opportunities such as the “Belt and Road,” and enhance China's agricultural competitiveness and comparative returns.
Use the concept of sharing to improve farmers' well-being. Eliminating poverty, improving people's livelihood, and gradually achieving common prosperity are the essential requirements of socialism and an important mission of our Party. At present, the situation for poverty alleviation through development remains severe, and compared with urban residents, rural residents still have an obvious gap in public services and social security. To build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we must establish the concept of shared development and, with greater determination, clearer thinking, more targeted measures and extraordinary intensity, resolutely win the battle against poverty. We must increase the supply of rural public services and strengthen coordination of urban and rural social security, so that farmers can participate equally in the modernization process, share in the fruits of modernization, and enjoy improved well-being.
With renewed concepts, the world becomes broad. We must keep the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing constantly in mind, morning and evening, internalize them in our hearts and externalize them in our actions, implement the arrangements and requirements of the central authorities with firmer determination and more powerful measures, connect the dots into lines, and work tirelessly for lasting results, enrich our development advantages, take the initiative to break outdated mindsets, path dependence and work inertia, use the five new development concepts to guide breakthroughs in methods and paths, continuously solve the real problems of agriculture and rural areas, create a new atmosphere in work style, and promote stronger agriculture, more beautiful rural areas, and richer farmers!