Why are farmers unwilling to convert from agricultural to non-agricultural status? The reasons are worth pondering

Pay attention to the diverse demands behind urbanization, break down the institutional factors hindering the urban-rural dual structure, and build a fair institutional environment. Whether farmers enter the city or not should be left to their own choice

A recent survey by media in Anhui, Sichuan, Hubei and other places found that most pilot small and medium-sized cities have fully opened up urban household registration for farmers, but before the "zero threshold," farmers' willingness to settle down is not high, and the urbanization rate of registered residents is generally lower than expected. A survey released not long ago by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences also showed that about half of migrant workers in the central and western regions do not want to enter the city, and 66.1% of migrant workers said they would return to their hometowns once they reached a certain age.

Settling down in the city was once the aspiration of many farmers. Why are they now unwilling to "convert from agricultural to non-agricultural status"?

Some say the "gold content" of an urban household registration is not as high as before. In the past, when farmers became urban residents, it meant they could enjoy different treatment in basic public services such as employment, education and medical care. Now the situation has changed. Urban residents do not necessarily have an "iron rice bowl" either; with the policy relaxed, children's schooling is no longer restricted by household registration; with the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and the New Rural Social Pension Insurance, villagers also have guarantees for medical care and old-age support. Most importantly, in terms of development opportunities, the city is no longer the only channel for the rural population to move upward; in rural areas there are equally opportunities to shine.

Some say the cost of living in the city is high and the pressure is great. Once in the city, vegetables, rice, oil and salt all cost money, and one also has to bear high housing prices. In terms of social security and medical care, it is also hard to enjoy truly urban resident treatment. In rural areas, with a small plot of land, food and drink for a year basically cost nothing. As new rural construction accelerates, rural infrastructure has greatly improved, and the pastoral life of green mountains and clear waters is more relaxed and pleasant than in the city.

Some say they cannot bear to give up rights and interests such as rural housing and land. In rural areas, contracted land, homestead land, direct grain subsidies, and subsidies for returning farmland to forest are exclusive to rural household registration, and after settling in the city these rights may be lost. For example, whether the right to land contractual management, the right to use homestead land, and the right to distribute collective income are retained, how to withdraw from them, and how to compensate for them still require clear institutional design.

Behind farmers' unwillingness to "convert from agricultural to non-agricultural status" is a reflection of the diverse demands of farmers' interests in the new era. In fact, urbanization is a spontaneous process. Whether farmers enter the city and which city they enter should be left to farmers to choose on their own. What the government should do is build a fair institutional environment so that everyone can enjoy equal public services and equal development opportunities.

To pay attention to the diverse demands behind urbanization, it is necessary to break down the institutional factors hindering rural population settlement. First, it is necessary to reduce the cost of turning migrant workers into urban residents, further improve the urban housing system, relax restrictions on housing purchases for migrant workers, include migrant workers in various types of affordable housing systems, and truly reduce the economic cost of turning migrant workers into urban residents. Second, break down the barriers of the urban-rural dual structure, and look not only at the status of "agricultural" and "non-agricultural," but also at promoting equalization of public service treatment. Third, it is necessary to accelerate reform of the rural property rights system, stabilize farmers' expectations regarding rural rights and interests, and let farmers enter the city without hesitation.

There is no need to panic that many farmers are unwilling to "convert from agricultural to non-agricultural status," because urbanization is a process that comes naturally when conditions are ripe, and faster is not necessarily better. The level of urbanization should adapt to the process of industrialization and match the level of development and economic strength. If it exceeds this capacity, problems such as insufficient employment, an increase in the poor population, and severe polarization are very likely to appear. If reality is ignored and the urbanization rate is blindly pursued, replacing farmers' wishes with government wishes, the phenomenon of farmers "being sent upstairs" and "being urbanized" will appear, leaving farmers who enter the city facing the awkward situation of "being unable to return to the countryside and unable to integrate into the city."

There is no shortcut to urbanization. These practical difficulties behind "converting from agricultural to non-agricultural status" are issues that future urbanization policy must consider. It should both let farmers who enter the city truly "take root" in the city and let farmers who stay in the village live happier and more dignified lives. Only such urbanization is people-centered urbanization, and only such urbanization is sustainable urbanization.