context: Longer-term goals of rural revitalisation seem to have been placed aside temporarily to prioritise 'wining anti-poverty battles' and building the moderately prosperous society scheduled for 2020 completion. There was less ag-related discussion this year, with emphasis only on guaranteeing ag product supply.
The 2019 Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing on 21–22 December 2019, chaired by Xiao Jie 肖捷 State Council secretary general and attended by Hu Chunhua 胡春华 State Council vice premier.
CCP and the State Council 'Opinions on paying adequate attention to key works of 'three rural issues', ensuring the realisation of a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled' (draft) was discussed at the meeting. It highlighted
- poverty alleviation
- concentrating efforts to complete remaining tasks
- consolidating achievements and preventing return to poverty
- adhering to current standards
- stabilising policies, and continuing to advance poverty reduction
- three rural issues
- promoting rural infrastructure construction, guaranteeing water supply
- improving rural education quality
- strengthening rural health care services
- strengthening rural social security
- improving rural public culture services
- strengthening rural environment governance, improving rural living environment
- farmer incomes
- developing rural industries
- stabilising employment for farmer migrants
- addressing migrant workers' wages default
- ag products supply
- strengthening awards and support to major grain production counties
- improving ag subsidy policy
- stabilising grain planting areas and production
- speeding up restoring pig production
- speeding up construction of high-quality farmland
- strengthening ag facilities building, including irrigation projects and cold chain logistics
- rural party leadership
- prioritising rural and ag development
- improving land, technology and talent policy for rural development
- adhering long-term stability of rural land contract system, and comprehensively rolling out rural collective property right reform pilots
- strengthening grassroots governance, mediating and resolving rural disputes
China's imbalanced and inadequate development is reflected in the laggard rural and ag sector, says Ye Xingqing 叶兴庆 State Council Development Research Centre Rural Economy Department director. Prioritising rural is particularly important amid economic downturns and external uncertainty.
Ensuring per capita income in 2020 is double that of 2010 is a critical target for building a moderately prosperous society, argues Ye. Average annual growth of rural resident's per capita income was 8.5 percent from 2011-18. As long as the average annual growth reaches two percent in 2019 and 2020, the target will be hit, he says.
Annual growth of rural residents' income has been higher than GDP and urban residents' income, says Li Guoxiang 李国祥, China Academy of Social Sciences researcher. Challenges are increasing, says Li, highlighting downward pressure on employment and wages for farmer migrants, and slowing ag growth.