Innovative Practices and Path Exploration in the Professionalization of Chinese Farmers
This is a strategic project that affects the overall development of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers," a foundational project that ensures modern agriculture has successors, an innovative practice related to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and more fundamentally a path to improve farmers, support farmers and enrich farmers. This is the cultivation of new-type professional farmers.
From General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thesis on the question of "who will farm the land," to the strategic deployment of five consecutive central "No. 1 Documents," from the emergence of the new-type professional farmer cultivation project of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, to its successive implementation in more than 1,600 counties nationwide, the ranks of new-type professional farmers have grown and expanded, presenting an encouraging situation - a group of "old farmers" who have affection for and experience in agriculture have been upgraded, a group of "new farmers" who have nostalgia and want to start businesses have been attracted, and a group of "knowledgeable farmers" who have academic qualifications and can innovate have been introduced.
Wang Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, pointed out that talent is the key to modern agricultural development, and that the cultivation of new-type professional farmers must be accelerated to continuously expand the ranks of new farmers. Cultivating new-type professional farmers is the "overall lever" for our country's "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" work under the new situation.
Practice has proven that the cultivation of new-type professional farmers, this path of farmer professionalization with unique Chinese characteristics, is not only changing the fate of hundreds of millions of farmers, but also profoundly affecting the process of agricultural modernization. Since 2013 alone, the country has cultivated 2.6 million new-type professional farmers. A group of high-quality young farmers is becoming large-scale growers and breeders, family farm owners and leaders of farmers' cooperatives. A group of college students, returning migrant workers and veterans have joined the ranks of new-type professional farmers. A group of "bespectacled" new-type professional farmers is emerging, playing a pivotal role in promoting the early realization of our country's agricultural modernization.
New-type professional farmers shoulder an unprecedented mission -
In another 10 to 20 years, a large group of new-type professional farmers who are educated, understand technology, are good at business and can manage will be the main force relied upon for China's modern agricultural development. Chinese agriculture will mainly be undertaken by them, and will thereby move toward modernization
At present, our country has entered the decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and it is also a critical period for accelerating agricultural modernization. Farmers are the main body of rural production and life and the primary force driving rural social development, yet the loss of rural talent has brought new challenges to agricultural and rural development. On the one hand, the rural agricultural labor force shows part-time, aging and low-education characteristics; on the other hand, the large-scale, standardized and intensive production of modern agriculture places higher demands on labor quality. "Who will farm the land, and how to farm it well" has aroused concern across society.
Undoubtedly, the core of solving the problem of "who will farm the land" is to solve the problem of people. The foundation of agricultural modernization is the modernization of farmers. "Let agriculture become a promising industry, and let farmers become a respectable profession" is the most practical expectation of farmers. It can be said that cultivating farmers and improving farmers is not only a strategic requirement of the state and a practical demand of industry, but also the sincere aspiration of farmers.
The cultivation of new-type professional farmers is a major strategic issue concerning the development of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers." In traditional agrarian society, "facing the yellow earth with one's back to the sky" fully described the hardships of farming and also made "farmer" a lowly status symbol, so that "jumping out of the farm gate" became the helpless choice of farmers for thousands of years. Vigorously cultivating new-type professional farmers makes being a farmer no longer a symbol of lowly status, but a respectable and dignified profession, strengthening their confidence to take agriculture as their root, their occupation and their livelihood, and to cultivate modern agriculture and build a beautiful new countryside in the fields of hope.
The cultivation of new-type professional farmers is a directional issue concerning agricultural modernization. Farmer professionalization is an important indicator of basic agricultural modernization. "Professionalized farmers + cooperative operation + socialized services" is the basic direction of our country's modern agricultural development. Only by increasing efforts to cultivate new-type professional farmers and accelerating the building of a high-quality team of modern agricultural production and operators can a solid human foundation and guarantee be provided for agricultural modernization.
The cultivation of new-type professional farmers is an overall issue concerning the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. "Whether it is moderately prosperous or not, the key lies with the fellow villagers." The focus and difficulty of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects lie with farmers.
Although farmers' incomes have continued to grow in recent years, the absolute urban-rural income gap is still widening, and farmers' level of social security is low and public services are few. Cultivating new-type professional farmers and shaping them into specialized large-scale growers, family farm owners, cooperative leaders and backbones of agricultural enterprises will make agriculture a promising industry and make farmers leaders in escaping poverty and becoming rich.
It can be said that the development of the times calls for new-type professional farmers, and new-type professional farmers also shoulder an unprecedented mission.
As Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture, said, in another 10 to 20 years, a large group of new-type professional farmers who are educated, understand technology, are good at business and can manage will be the main force relied upon for China's modern agricultural development. Chinese agriculture will mainly be undertaken by them, and Chinese agriculture will thereby move toward modernization.
The institutional framework for cultivating new-type professional farmers has basically taken shape -
Although cultivation and training differ by only one word, they represent an institutional innovation, expanding from single technical training to equal emphasis on skills training and business management, and extending from mere education and training to certification management, follow-up services and policy support
The cultivation of new-type professional farmers is a complex systematic project. Scientific top-level design and strong policy promotion are the key to ensuring its smooth implementation.
From 2012 to 2016, the five consecutive "No. 1 Documents" issued by the central government made comprehensive arrangements for the cultivation of new-type professional farmers. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture began piloting the cultivation of new-type professional farmers in 2012, and in 2014 jointly launched the new-type professional farmer cultivation project with the Ministry of Finance. In 2016, the new-type professional farmer cultivation project had already covered 8 entire provinces, 30 entire cities and 800 demonstration counties, and more than 1,600 counties nationwide carried out the cultivation of new-type professional farmers.
Zhang Taolin, Vice Minister of Agriculture, said that after several years of effort, our country has initially formed a new-type professional farmer cultivation work pattern of government promotion, departmental coordination, industry-driven development and farmers' initiative, and has basically established the new-type professional farmer cultivation institutional framework of "three in one" - education and training, standardized management and policy support; "three types in coordination" - production and operation type, professional skill type and professional service type; and "three levels connected" - primary, intermediate and advanced.
"Although cultivation and training differ by only one word, they represent an institutional innovation. It is no longer simply discussing projects for the sake of projects or merely completing training tasks, but rather paying more attention to the quality of cultivation, expanding from single technical training to equal emphasis on skills training and business management, extending to certification management after training, follow-up services, and the follow-up implementation of support policies, thereby improving the pertinence, standardization and effectiveness of cultivation." So said Liao Xiyuan, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of the Ministry of Agriculture.
It is precisely to ensure the quality of cultivation that funding input has continued to grow since the implementation of the new-type professional farmer cultivation project. The central government finances 1.1 billion yuan each year, expanded to 1.39 billion yuan this year, driving local investment of nearly 1 billion yuan each year, raising subsidy standards and improving training efficiency.
During interviews, reporters learned that in the process of cultivating new-type professional farmers, localities have actively explored and boldly practiced, successively elevating the cultivation of new-type professional farmers to government action and listing it as key agricultural and rural work, creating many good experiences that can be promoted and replicated.
The Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government included the "degree of cultivation of new-type professional farmers" in the agricultural modernization indicator system, proposing that by 2020 the province's degree of cultivation of new-type professional farmers reach 50%. To this end, the provincial finance department invests 100 million yuan each year, and all cities and counties also include the cultivation of new-type professional farmers as key content in target assessment. Today, this work is being carried out vigorously.
Shaanxi Province was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as a province-wide demonstration province for three consecutive years. In 2013, it launched the professional farmer shaping project, innovatively listing agricultural students from universities, colleges and secondary schools as a new force among cultivation targets. "In the cultivation of professional farmers, we have explored a uniquely characteristic model of 'theoretical teaching, online instruction, base practical training, qualification certification, assistance and guidance, and policy support,' established a professional farmer database, and certified a large number of professional farmers." Yang Xiaohong, Vice Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Agriculture, told reporters.