An interpretation of the No. 1 document of the Central Committee for the work of "Agriculture, Countryside and Farmers"

This year marks the 30th anniversary of reform and opening up. When we look back on the new long March of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we can see that the Central Committee's No. 1 document once again focuses on "agriculture, rural areas and farmers". Its content is to strengthen agricultural infrastructure based on strengthening agriculture and benefiting farmers. This is the fifth document concerning "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" since the 16th CPC National Congress, and the 10th Central Committee document since the reform and opening up.

Under the guidance of this series of No. 1 documents of the Central Committee, the climax of rural reform has occurred one after another over the past 30 years. Under the background of different times, the No. 1 document of the Ten Central Committee has its own emphasis, accurately grasping the reform main line of protecting farmers' material interests, respecting farmers' democratic rights, constantly liberating and developing social productive forces, and accelerating the historical process of coordinated development of urban and rural areas. together played the magnificent theme of prospering the rural economy, increasing farmers' income and promoting the development of rural society. It is the strongest voice in the era when China's urban and rural society moves towards harmonious development and is committed to common prosperity.

1982, 1986: composing five brilliant chapters in the process of China's Reform

The magnificent cause of China's reform began in rural areas. To study the reform of China's economic system, we have to study the rural reform and know a special term-- "five No.1 documents."

The first "five No.1 documents" refer to the five documents on rural work formulated and promulgated by the CPC Central Committee from 1982 to 1986. These five No.1 documents record Communist Party of China respecting the pioneering spirit of the people, coming from the masses, going among the masses, and guiding a series of major decisions on China's rural reform. it has played a huge role in promoting rural reform to take the lead in making breakthroughs, arousing the enthusiasm of the broad masses of farmers, and liberating rural productive forces, which is deeply imprinted on the hearts of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers.

On January 1, 1982, the CPC Central Committee issued the first document on "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", which summarized the epoch-making rural reform, further relaxed the rural policy, and affirmed the "double guarantee" system.

In January 1983, the second Central Committee document No. 1, "some issues of the current Rural Economic Policy" was formally promulgated. The document theoretically affirms that the household contract responsibility system "is a great creation of Chinese farmers under the leadership of the Party and a new development of Marxist agricultural cooperation theory in China's practice." The document calls for the full implementation of the household contract responsibility system.

On January 1, 1984, the CPC Central Committee issued the Circular on Rural work in 1984, that is, the third document No. 1, emphasizing the need to continue to stabilize and improve the contract responsibility system and extend the land contract period. It is stipulated that the period of land contract should generally be more than 15 years. The document gave farmers a "long-term reassurance".

In January 1985, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Ten policies on further activating the Rural economy, that is, the fourth document No. 1, the central content of which is to adjust the rural industrial structure and abolish the system of unified purchase and distribution of agricultural and sideline products over the past 30 years. we will adopt a new policy of state-planned contract purchase of a small number of important products such as grain and cotton. The state has also changed the agricultural tax from physical tax to cash tax.

On January 1, 1986, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the "deployment of Rural work in 1986", that is, the fifth No. 1 document. The document further rectifies the position of agriculture in the national economy, and while affirming the original policy and science, it emphasizes increasing investment and further deepening rural reform.

The first "five No.1 documents", by affirming the household contract with output, has gradually liberated hundreds of millions of farmers from the production mode of "facing the loess and facing the sky" that has lasted for thousands of years, and through non-agricultural management and other means, while liberating the productive forces, it has realized the further liberation of the labor force itself, began to participate in the great historical process of China's industrialization and urbanization, and contributed to the reform of China's urban economic system. It provides a solid material foundation and inexhaustible spiritual motivation.

The first "five No.1 document" on the reform monument has stimulated the production enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of farmers and created a new situation in China's rural reform and development. Since then, the income of farmers has increased steadily and rapidly, which is faster than that in cities, and the income gap between urban and rural residents has gradually narrowed. Chinese farmers who have been deprived of food and clothing for thousands of years have crossed poverty and moved from food and clothing to a well-off society.

According to statistics, from 1978 to 1984, the per capita net income of farmers increased from 133.57 yuan to 355.33 yuan, with an average annual increase of 17.71 percent, of which the annual growth rate in 1982 was 19.9 percent, the highest in history. From 1978 to 1988, the total grain output increased from 400 billion jin to 800 billion jin, creating a miracle of using 7% of the world's arable land to feed 22% of the world's population. Township enterprises are springing up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. By the early 1990s, township enterprises have become the most active part of China's economy.

2004 color 2008: five new monuments in the process of balancing urban and rural areas

As the wheel of history enters the 21st century, China's sustained and rapid economic growth continues unabated, and "letting some people get rich first" has become a reality.

However, the reform and development of rural areas are constantly facing new problems. Especially since 1997, the growth rate of farmers' income has declined for four consecutive years. From 1997 to 2003, farmers' income increased by less than 4 percent for seven consecutive years, less than 1/5 of the increase in urban residents' income. The incomes of major grain producing areas and most farmers continue to hover or even decrease, and various social undertakings in rural areas have also fallen into a period of low growth. "if you have enough to eat, you are short of money to spend", "you have enough to eat, you look down on a doctor, and you cannot afford to read books." there is a serious imbalance between urban and rural development, social contradictions in rural areas have become increasingly prominent, and the income of urban and rural residents has been further expanded after being reduced for a time.

In the face of the grim situation of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, the CPC Central Committee judged the hour and sized up the situation, proceeding from the overall situation of the national economy, and made major adjustments to the urban and rural development strategy and policy guidance: the 16th CPC National Congress pointed out that the overall economic and social development of urban and rural areas, the construction of modern agriculture, the development of rural economy and increasing farmers' income are the major tasks of building a well-off society in an all-round way. The importance of paying more attention to rural areas, caring about farmers and supporting agriculture as the top priority of the work of the whole party has been repeatedly emphasized.

Since the 16th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have adhered to the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "three represents", thoroughly implemented the scientific concept of development, and formulated major policies to strengthen the work of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers". Five Central Committee No. 1 documents guiding agricultural and rural work have been issued in succession. With the themes of increasing farmers' income, improving the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture, promoting the construction of a new socialist countryside, developing modern agriculture and strengthening the basic construction of agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the new period, it has jointly formed the basic thinking and policy system for strengthening the work of agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the new period, constructed the institutional framework of promoting agriculture by industry and leading the countryside by cities, and opened a historical chapter in building a new socialist countryside. Ushered in another spring of agricultural and rural development.

On February 8, 2004, the first central document on agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the new century, the opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on policies to increase farmers' income, was announced. This is the sixth agriculture-related document since the reform and opening up. Since then, the No. 1 document of the CPC Central Committee has re-locked the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

On January 30, 2005, the opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on several policies to further strengthen rural work and improve comprehensive agricultural production capacity were published, requiring stability, improvement and strengthening of various policies to support agriculture, earnestly strengthen the construction of comprehensive agricultural production capacity, continue to adjust the structure of agriculture and rural economy, and further deepen rural reform.

On February 21, 2006, several opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on promoting the Construction of a New Socialist Countryside were published, which called for improving the policy of supporting agriculture, strengthening infrastructure construction, strengthening the construction of democratic politics and spiritual civilization in rural areas, speeding up the development of social undertakings, promoting the comprehensive reform in rural areas, promoting the continuous increase of farmers' income, and ensuring a good start to the construction of a new socialist countryside.

On January 29, 2007, "some opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on actively developing Modern Agriculture and promoting the Construction of a New Socialist Countryside" was announced, proposing to equip agriculture with modern material conditions and transform agriculture with modern science and technology. promote agriculture with modern industrial system, promote agriculture with modern management forms, lead agriculture with modern development concepts, and develop agriculture with training new farmers.

On January 30, 2008, "some opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on strengthening Agricultural Infrastructure Construction to further increase Farmers' income" was announced, proposing to take the road of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, establish a long-term mechanism of industry to promote agriculture and urban and rural areas, and form a new pattern of integration of urban and rural economic and social development.

Looking at the Future from 2008: it will usher in a New pattern of Urban-Rural Integration

If we say that the five No. 1 documents in the 1980s focused on solving the obstacles in the rural system, promoting the great development of rural productive forces, and then creating material and ideological impetus for the reform of the urban economic system, the core idea of the five Central No.1 documents on "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" in the new century is that cities support rural areas and industry to feed agriculture through a series of policies and measures of "giving more, taking less and letting live". To enable farmers to recuperate, with emphasis on increasing farmers' income, giving farmers equal rights, giving priority to rural areas, and giving more back-feeding to agriculture.

On the basis of the direction of "integration of urban and rural economic and social development" determined by the report of the 17th CPC National Congress, this year's Central Committee document determined that it is necessary to strengthen agricultural infrastructure in accordance with the requirements of forming a new pattern of urban and rural economic and social development. we will actively promote the stable development of agriculture and the continuous increase of farmers' income, strive to ensure the basic supply of major agricultural products, earnestly solve the problems of people's livelihood in rural areas, and promote the building of a new socialist countryside in a down-to-earth manner. This is not only the overall requirement of the work of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" in this year, but also in the future.

Chen Xiwen, director of the Office of the Central Rural work leading Group, said that strengthening the basic position of agriculture, taking the road of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, establishing an effective mechanism of promoting agriculture by industry and leading rural areas by cities, and forming a new pattern of integration of urban and rural economic and social development will be the direction that we must always adhere to in the process of building a well-off society in an all-round way and realizing modernization.

What is noteworthy is that this year's Central Committee document made it clear that the level of basic public services in rural areas will be gradually improved in the future, including improving the level of compulsory education in rural areas, strengthening the ability of basic medical services in rural areas, and stabilizing the low fertility level in rural areas. we will prosper rural public culture, establish and improve the rural social security system, and so on. From this we can interpret the development of agricultural infrastructure construction to comprehensive rural social infrastructure construction.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of reform and opening up, the No. 1 document of the CPC Central Committee unswervingly embodies the great dream of crossing the historical barriers of a dual society and pursuing the harmonious development and common prosperity of urban and rural areas. It can be expected that this will become a new driving force for the future "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" work to create resplendence, and a new starting point for the new pattern of integration of urban and rural economic and social development in our country.