Key Takeaways:
- President Xi Jinping has ordered all levels of government to prioritise agricultural and rural modernisation to stabilise food supplies and advance rural livelihoods.
- Key priorities include grain production, farmland protection, infrastructure, technology adoption and preventing large-scale returns to poverty.
- Officials are urged to maintain and refine post-poverty-alleviation support during the transition to the 15th Five‑Year period.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed party and government bodies at every level to make agricultural and rural modernisation a top priority, stressing that strong agriculture is essential to national strength and social stability. The guidance sets clear targets for the coming years: secure grain production, protect cultivated land, accelerate rural infrastructure and apply agricultural technology to raise farmers’ incomes.
agricultural and rural modernisation drives policy priorities
Xi called for an intensified, hands‑on approach, with secretaries at five administrative levels responsible for advancing rural revitalisation. The message emphasises practical action: “build agriculture into a modern major industry, equip rural areas with basic modern living conditions and improve farmers’ livelihoods,” reflecting the leadership’s view that steady progress in the countryside underpins broader modernisation goals.
Officials are being asked to focus on several immediate tasks. First is food security: authorities must not relax efforts to secure grain production and to protect arable land. Second is income stability: measures to promote steady, sustainable growth in farmers’ incomes will remain central. Third is poverty prevention: the leadership insists on guarding against any large‑scale return to poverty and on sustaining the support networks established during poverty alleviation efforts.
As 2025 marks the final year of the transitional period linking poverty eradication with rural revitalisation, policymakers have been urged to keep existing assistance systems broadly stable and to build a regularised framework of support. The emphasis is on improving the effectiveness of assistance by strengthening local capacities and encouraging self‑sustaining development in less developed areas.
Practical measures highlighted in the instructions include enhanced protection of cultivated land, investment in agricultural infrastructure, accelerated research into core agricultural technologies and faster translation of scientific results into commercial applications. Officials are expected to tailor solutions to local conditions, develop new productive forces in agriculture and refine mechanisms for village construction and management.
The guidance also frames agricultural development as a foundation for wider urban‑rural integration. Promoting coordinated development between towns and countryside will be key to creating more balanced regional economies and providing rural residents with access to modern services and living standards.
Experts say the directives aim to stabilise China’s agricultural base amid external uncertainties and to ensure that rural development contributes to the broader goal of common prosperity. By prioritising strategic grain reserves, technological innovation and targeted support for lagging regions, Beijing is seeking to mitigate risks while boosting domestic demand and rural incomes.
Local governments will be judged on implementation, and the central leadership has stressed the need for rigorous, results‑oriented work. The instructions call for scientific planning and persistent effort to ensure the commitments translate into visible improvements in agricultural productivity, rural living conditions and the quality of life for farmers.
With the government positioning agriculture and the countryside as essential pillars of national development, the initiative outlines a comprehensive approach to modernisation that blends fiscal support, policy continuity and technological advancement to foster resilient and prosperous rural communities.
