Rural revitalization does not mean dying villages should get life support

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs talked about the country's "hollowed-out villages" twice in its meetings this month, calling on the whole society to pay attention to developing rural industries to help prevent the collapse of rural communities. Beijing News comments:

The ministry suggests that the left-behind populations of some villages can be pooled together to form new villages, and rural industries can be developed to help attract migrant workers and other talents.

In fact, it is far-fetched to deem the empty villages as a sign of the failure of the rural development plan, as it is a natural part of the country's fast urbanization. Some small cities and counties are also going through similar pains, which is a result of the migration of the rural population and productivity factors.

To relocate the left-behind population of several empty villages to form a new village can be a solution, but it must be handled with great care and thoughtfulness.

The original residents of the villages invariably lead better lives in the places where they resettle, and they finally enjoy the freedom to move around in pursuit for better lives. So rather than simply lamenting that villages are being hollowed out, it is more rational to attach significance to creating jobs and improving public services in the countryside so that people have no need to leave.

Certainly, the appearance of the empty villages should prompt the government to adjust its rural policies. For instance, it does not make sense to continue to invest heavily in infrastructure construction in these empty villages any more.

Forming a new village makes it easier for local governments to access and serve the people. But some left-behind residents, mostly aged farmers, are reluctant to leave their homes. And moving to a new village means they will be far from their land, unless they can obtain new land near their new home, which entails a complicated reshuffle of local interests.

Also, it is unrealistic for every village to have strong and sustainable industries, which is exactly an objective many local governments instruct the villages to realize. The government should respect the law of the market and the flow of talent.

To revitalize the villages, the government should not pin its hopes on migrant workers returning home, if their techniques and skills, which they acquire through their jobs in cities, are not useful back home. The lack of opportunities, funds and industrial foundations in villages, which naturally compel the laborers to flow to cities, if unchanged, will continue to prompt young rural residents to go to cities.

The modernization of agriculture should be a solution to make better use of the uncultivated land in the empty villages. But it entails the introduction of funds, technology and capable management. The government should increase its input in the right direction before expecting rural industries to boom.

In other words, China's rural regions have been sacrificed for the development of the urban regions for too long, it is time to repay the historical debt.