Reforms key to food security and high-quality rural development

Farmers dry corn in the sun in Yangliuxue town, Binzhou, Shandong province, on Tuesday. CHU BAORUI/FOR CHINA DAILY Although China is not an agriculture-based economy anymore, as it was for most part of its long history, and more Chinese people live in cities and towns than villages today, agriculture and related rural work are still of vital importance to the country, not only for the sake of food security and social stability but also the high-quality development of the nation it seeks. Meanwhile, more attention should be paid to developing rural industries that can create rural jobs and increase rural residents' income, improve the comprehensive benefits of agriculture, promote the county-level economy, broaden farmers' income channels, avoid abject rural poverty, promote rural infrastructure and the cultural industry, strengthen rural environmental protection, and enhance grassroots governance efficiency. In particular, as the meeting stressed, a key reform related to the rural work should be to promote the pilot project of extending the second round of land contracts for another 30 years after their expiration in an orderly manner, explore effective forms of utilization of idle farmhouses through leasing, equity investment and cooperation, and create new investment and financing mechanisms for rural revitalization. As the meeting required, the rural reforms must be based on the actual situation in rural areas, respect the wishes of farmers, give full play to the main role of farmers, improve working methods and encourage local governments to explore effective new practices and experience to ensure the reforms can deliver concrete results to improve farmers' well-being.