Study on Agricultural Modernization with Chinese Characteristics

Research Team of Research Department of Rural Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC)

China's economy is experiencing a critical historical period. Domestically speaking, China is facing major tasks of achieving transformation of economic development model, successfully steering through the middle-income phase, and ensuring continued advance of modernization drive. Globally speaking, the world economy has entered a period for profound adjustment and transformation. The financial crisis keeps brewing and recovery of developed economies is frequently frustrated; a new round of industrial and technological revolutions is boosting and strategic emerging industries' momentum is in the ascendant. This not only impacts China's current stable and sound economic development, but also poses daunting challenges to China's efforts to innovate comparative advantages and sharpen industrial competitive edge in the world. At this juncture, it has become all the more crucial and urgent to ensure China's stable and sound economic and social development and to accelerate transformation of economic development model. In view of the volatile and stern environment both at home and abroad, the central leadership set "pursuing progress in stable development" as the general tone of work in 2012, stressed that we should make new progress in transforming economic development model on the prerequisite that economic development and social stability are ensured.

From now on, deep-seated ramifications resulting from the international financial crisis might continue to emerge, world economic recovery will become more uncertain and unstable, the international market will remain sluggish, and negative factors affecting China's exports might exist for a long time. Under such circumstances, securing stable economic operation through macro-policy readjustment remains a major issue facing us in days to come.

DRC Book Series contain research reports on major issues accomplished by DRC in 2011, including some excellent reports on bidding projects, all of which are the latest research findings of DRC for providing policy options and consulting advice relating to policy making for CPC Central Committee and the State Council. As one of this series, this book gives an in-depth illustration of China's agricultural modernization in terms of its past, present and future development, and raises related policy options.

The first section is the general report entitled "China's Agricultural Modernization in the New Period", which offers a panoramic introduction to the dimensions on agricultural modernization, changes and features of China's traditional agriculture as well as challenges and strategic choices facing agricultural modernization during the new period. The section is followed by ten subtopics including "The Periodic Evolvement of China's Agricultural Development", "Food Security: Core Issue of China's Agricultural Product Supply and Demand", "Agricultural Structural Changes and Agricultural Modernization", "Agricultural Industrial Chains for Breeding and Processing Sectors and Agricultural Modernization" and "Empirical Analysis and Policy Implications on the Influence of Labor Migration on Rural Areas". The last part is the appendixes which illustrate the historical background of modern agricultural development, the present development, regional features and evaluation plans.