Large-scale ecological agriculture is an important lever for agricultural supply-side reform
The 2016 No. 1 Central Document proposed advancing structural reform on the agricultural supply side, accelerating the transformation of the agricultural development model, maintaining stable agricultural development and sustained growth of farmers' incomes, and taking a path of agricultural modernization featuring efficient output, safe products, resource conservation and environmental friendliness. Developing large-scale ecological agriculture is an important lever for structural reform on the agricultural supply side and an effective supplement to the shortcomings of traditional large-scale operation. Ecological agriculture ensures "safety on the tip of the tongue," provides differentiated agricultural products, realizes premium income, and breaks through the double squeeze, with more targeted demand and more effective supply. Moderate-scale operation is the inevitable path for developing modern agriculture. Through a green quality revolution, large-scale agricultural operation takes the path of ecological agriculture, improving quality and efficiency and achieving the unity of ecological, economic and social benefits.
Developing ecological agriculture also has corresponding policy environment momentum and consumer demand momentum. Since the 18th National Congress, ecological civilization construction has become a major strategic task for the whole Party and the whole country. Under the guidance of the concept of ecological civilization, not judging heroes by GDP has become a consensus across society, and the conceptual transformation and corresponding actions of changing the development model are profoundly affecting every aspect of industrial and agricultural production. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee put forward new development concepts, and society as a whole pays more attention to green development and to "safety on the tip of the tongue." Along with rising residents' incomes and strengthened awareness of food quality and safety, the purchasing power for high-quality agricultural products has increased, turning potential demand into effective demand.
Demand pull is the main driving force for the development of ecological agriculture, and supply creating demand is also an important way to develop ecological agriculture. Only when demand pull is transmitted to supply promotion can the endogenous driving force for the development of ecological agriculture be stimulated. According to the laws of market supply, in terms of supply promotion, brand and marketing strategies need to be actively implemented. The value of ecological agriculture lies in the ecological brand, and the development of ecological agriculture should pay special attention to the trinity of ecological certification, brand creation and marketing. The government should do a good job in policy and institutional supply, reduce the transaction costs of ecological agriculture development, reform subsidy methods, give corresponding rewards to bases that meet the standards of the "Three Products and One Standard," and form a good positive incentive mechanism.
The development of ecological agriculture itself is a systematic project. Relying on the scientific methods and concepts of ecology and environmental protection, ecological agriculture not only focuses on the application of resource-conserving and environment-friendly technologies and on the supply management of agricultural inputs, but also requires follow-up structural institutional supply in a series. The development of ecological agriculture needs to be based on diversification, specialization, large-scale operation, industrialization and marketization. It requires capital injection and, even more, concentrated product marketing. Only through the effective combination of capital going to the countryside and ecological operation methods can the substantial development of ecological agriculture be achieved. Ecological agriculture needs to draw on the power of social capital and give play to the role of market mechanisms. It also needs the government to make bold moves in land reform and other areas, promoting smooth land circulation through complete land rights confirmation, and realizing the transformation from fragmentation to large-scale operation and from homogeneity to heterogeneity. At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate the planning of urban development areas, agricultural development areas and ecological red line areas, implement zero tolerance for environmental pollution behavior, and govern pollution with an iron hand and strict discipline.
From the perspective of deep structural reform, ecological agriculture has multi-dimensional chain relationships. First is the progressive structured target system of ecological agriculture: first, the tiered progressive target from ecological agriculture to ecological civilization; second, the tiered progressive target from pollution-free agriculture to organic agriculture; third, the tiered progressive target from planting alone to the integration of planting, breeding and processing; fourth, the tiered progressive target from a single ecological standard to relatively natural circular ecological agriculture. Under the fourfold progressive targets, other functional targets are derived, mainly combining whole-region ecology with local ecology and integrating traditional agriculture with modern agriculture, so as to drive profound changes in the agricultural development model through the development of ecological agriculture. Second, ecological agriculture is not concept hype. It is necessary to achieve seamless supervision throughout the whole process from production to marketing and from field to table, and to establish a long-term management mechanism featuring supervision by government functional departments, responsibility by certification enterprises, participation by production entities, and oversight by the media and the public. This can only be accomplished through real structural reform. Third, ecological agriculture has high-end characteristics, which are determined both by the high-end standards of ecological agriculture and, even more, by the market share of high-end demand for organic products. At the same time, ecological agriculture has a high-end pulling effect, that is, through the development of ecological agriculture on a limited scale, a tiered price system is formed, expanding development space for general large-scale operation and forming a sound agricultural economic ecological structure.
Overall, the development of ecological agriculture is still in its initial stage and at the same time faces the common problems of agricultural supply-side reform. To give full play to the leading role and latecomer advantages of ecological agriculture, some prominent problems need to be solved as priorities. First, it is necessary to solve the problem of reconstructing the operating entities of ecological agriculture, do a good job in rights confirmation aimed at clarifying land rights, and let both contracting households and transferees feel reassured. On this basis, cultivate various forms of large-scale operating entities, focus on solving the problem of "no fixed property, no perseverance," and thereby enhance the self-awareness and self-discipline of operating entities in developing ecological agriculture. Second, it is necessary to form a mechanism of mutual promotion and joint construction among multiple entities in ecological agriculture. While mobilizing the enthusiasm of operating entities, the government should also play its corresponding role, enabling multiple entities to work together, establishing and improving ecological compensation incentive mechanisms and regulatory constraint mechanisms, solving the problems of the positive externalities of ecological agriculture and the negative externalities arising from moral hazard in the operation of ecological products, forming a fair and transparent market environment, and promoting the sustained and healthy development of ecological agriculture. Third, carry out a general survey of land quality, implement comprehensive treatment of agricultural non-point source pollution and agricultural environmental restoration projects, designate seriously polluted areas as areas where agricultural production is prohibited, and hold the bottom line of safe agricultural production. Fourth, from the specific supply level, pay attention to the high-end characteristics of ecological agriculture, adhere to the principle of preferring quality over quantity in developing ecological agriculture, and avoid rushing headlong into mass action. At the same time, provide supplies of different series and grades from pollution-free to organic ecological products. Seek the inclusive development of ecological agriculture with a broad concept of ecological agriculture.