The Central Rural Work Conference held at the end of 2025 laid out the work on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in 2026. General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions on doing a good job in this area, emphasizing the need to "scientifically grasp the strategic position of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the overall development of the Party and the country." He pointed out that 2026 is the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and doing a good job in agriculture, rural areas, and farmers is of paramount importance. This demonstrates the historical awareness and sense of responsibility of the times that "agriculture is the foundation of the country, and a stable foundation ensures national security," and sets the course for the work on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
The profound meaning of "crucial importance" is rooted in the historical position of a major agricultural country and the practical needs of modernization. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has consistently prioritized addressing the "three rural issues" (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers) as the most important task of the Party, emphasizing agriculture, strengthening agriculture, loving agriculture, and enriching farmers. This "ballast stone" of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers has played a steadfast and unwavering role in safeguarding the giant ship of Chinese modernization as it sails through turbulent waters. In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers carries the mission of consolidating the foundation and addressing shortcomings, and also shoulders the heavy responsibility of comprehensive efforts and breakthroughs. Currently, the once-in-a-century changes and the century-long pandemic are intertwined, and the domestic and international development environment is becoming increasingly complex. Only by consolidating the foundation of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers can we grasp certainty amidst uncertainty and gain the initiative for overall development through the solid achievements of rural revitalization. This strategic consideration not only continues the cultural genes of the Chinese nation that value agriculture and rural development, but also demonstrates the CPC's unwavering commitment to the well-being of farmers and food security, pointing the way forward for the development of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the new era.
The vigorous progress of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in China is reflected in the dual-engine drive of policy support and technological empowerment. From the central to local levels, a series of policies to strengthen agriculture and benefit farmers have been precisely implemented, safeguarding against large-scale poverty and stimulating the intrinsic motivation of farmers to grow grain and local governments to focus on grain production. Continuous breakthroughs in agricultural science and technology innovation have accelerated the transformation of traditional farming into smart agriculture. From revitalizing the seed industry to solidify the foundation for increased production, to mechanized farming to improve production efficiency, and to extending the entire industrial chain to broaden income-generating pathways, the resilience and quality of agricultural development are constantly improving. The practice in Jilin Province, situated on the black soil of China, is a vivid example. In 2025, the province's grain output reached a new high of 87.16 billion jin, remaining stable above 80 billion jin for five consecutive years, with a yield of 990.8 jin/mu, ranking first among major grain-producing provinces in the country. At the same time, it has transformed its resource endowment into development advantages, safeguarding food security with standardized planting and revitalizing rural areas with distinctive industries, providing a local model that can be learned from for the high-quality development of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers nationwide.
The vibrant landscape of urban and rural China stems from the two-way pursuit of rural revitalization and urban development. Rural revitalization is not a solo effort, but a chorus of urban-rural integration. With the deepening of the construction of livable, workable, and beautiful villages, rural infrastructure is continuously upgraded, and the living environment is significantly improved. What were once considered shortcomings are now becoming highlights. Villages are not only becoming homes for farmers' happy lives but also "poetry and distant places" that city dwellers yearn for. Jilin Province has deeply studied and applied the experience of the "Ten Thousand Villages Project," implementing the "Ten-Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand" project, focusing on the goals of "beautiful villages, harmonious people, and common prosperity," giving villages both "appearance" and "content," and promoting the transformation of the rural living environment from "highlighting specific points" to "improving overall quality." At the same time, urban resources such as capital, technology, and talent are continuously flowing into rural areas, deeply integrating with rural land, ecological, and cultural resources. This has led to the construction of industrial linkage models such as "urban R&D + rural production" and "urban market + rural base," giving rise to new business formats and models. This allows for the two-way flow and complementary advantages of urban and rural factors, forming a virtuous cycle of mutual promotion between "strong agriculture, beautiful countryside, and prosperous farmers" and "prosperous cities, thriving industries, and secure residents." Jilin's experience shows us that as long as we base our efforts on resource endowments, adhere to adapting to local conditions, and closely integrate central government plans with local realities, we can forge our own unique paths to rural revitalization.
Agriculture is the foundation of the nation, and its development is a responsibility. On the journey of comprehensively advancing China's modernization, agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (the "three rural issues") are not only the "ballast stone" for stabilizing the economy but also the "power source" for accumulating strength and achieving leaps forward. In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, doing a good job in agriculture, rural areas, and farmers requires maintaining strategic focus and strengthening our sense of responsibility. We must always keep food security in mind, firmly holding our rice bowl in our own hands; we must continue to deepen rural reforms, activating the endogenous driving force of rural development; we must focus on increasing farmers' income, allowing them to share more of the development results in the extension of the industrial chain, and stride confidently towards a new journey of high-quality development, painting a magnificent picture of integrated urban-rural development, providing solid support for China's modernization, making the "granary of the nation" more stable, rural revitalization more powerful, and the future of urban and rural China more promising.
Changbai Times commentator Jiu Taiping
