Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 30th. Title: Building a modern fertile field with high yields and stable yields to consolidate the foundation of food security - Interpretation of the "Implementation Plan for Gradually Building Permanent Basic Farmland into High-Standard Farmland"

Xinhua News Agency reporters Hu Lu and Gu Yiping

Recently, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Implementation Plan for Gradually Building Permanent Basic Farmland into High-Standard Farmland", which clearly stated that by 2035, we will strive to build all permanent basic farmland that meets the conditions into high-Standard Farmland, with a total of 455 million mu of transformation and upgrading, and an additional 130 million mu of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation area.

Food security is the "big thing for the country". The fundamental reason for ensuring national food security lies in arable land, and building high-standard farmland is an important tool.

Jin Wencheng, director of the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that high-standard farmlands have stable yields and high yields and stable yields, and have advantages in farmland quality, output capacity, disaster resistance, and resource utilization efficiency. Through the construction of high-standard farmland, grain production capacity can generally be increased by about 10%.

As of the end of 2024, my country has built more than 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland, and has built more than 10 million kilometers of various field irrigation and drainage channels. The farmland's ability to resist and reduce disasters has been significantly improved, achieving fewer production reductions in major disasters, stable production in minor disasters, and more production increases without disasters, providing important support for the country's grain production and increase production for many years.

This year's Central Document No. 1 clearly states that high-quality promotion of high-standard farmland construction is promoted. In the implementation plan released this time, how to build high-standard farmland is deployed: In terms of construction standards, it is proposed to take "one level" (field leveling), "two connections" (water access paths), and "three improvements" (improving gravel, output, and efficiency as the basic standards, and reasonably determine the construction standards and investment standards of high-standard farmland in different regions and types; in terms of construction content, it is proposed to promote the construction of high-standard farmland according to local conditions, coordinate the comprehensive management of fields, soil, water, roads, forests, electricity, technology and management, and focus on the construction in the fields. New projects will give priority to the construction of infrastructure such as field improvement, field irrigation and drainage systems, field roads and power facilities, and strive to improve the ability of farmland to retain water, soil and fertilizer, resistance to drought and flood disasters, and convenient level of mechanized farming; the renovation and upgrading projects will make up for the shortcomings and weaknesses of field facilities according to the principles of what is lacking and what is supplemented. Fortification due to harm, reasonable adoption of engineering measures such as shore slope protection, wind and sand prevention, etc. to improve farmland protection and soil and water conservation capabilities; in terms of construction layout, it is proposed to optimize the spatial layout and timing arrangements for high-standard farmland construction, and give priority to construction in the black soil areas in the northeast, plain areas, areas with water conservancy irrigation conditions, and areas with high grain output and great potential for increased production; strictly restrict the ecologically fragile areas, coastal inland tidal flats and other areas, and prohibit the construction of high-standard farmland in slope above 25 degrees, strictly control arable land, ecological protection red lines (except concentrated contiguous terraces within the red line or contiguous cultivated land that coexists with the protection objects), and returning farmland to forests, grasslands, lakes and pastoral areas.

The plan also divides the national high-standard farmland construction into seven regions, including the Northeast District, Huanghuaihai District, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the southeast District, the southwest District, the northwest District, and the Qinghai-Tibet District, and the work priorities are clarified respectively.

Zhu Jing, a professor at Nanjing Agricultural University, believes that the plan not only requires the reasonable determination of construction standards, but also emphasizes the promotion and implementation of classified policies according to local conditions, which is conducive to targeted cracking of farmland production barriers and building modern fertile fields suitable for farming, ensuring harvests in drought and flood, and high yields and stable yields.

High-standard farmland must be built well and managed well, so as to play its role in continuously helping grain production to achieve high and stable production.

The plan proposes to strengthen the local operation and maintenance responsibilities of high-standard farmland in a graded manner, and clarify the content and standards of operation and maintenance; localities can explore high-standard farmland operation and maintenance models based on actual conditions. In addition, the plan also clearly stipulates that high-standard farmland is strictly protected and unauthorized occupation is strictly prohibited; if occupied by law is approved and allowed, all localities should promptly implement rebuilding to ensure that the quantity does not decrease and the quality does not decrease.

One part of deployment, nine parts of implementation.

In order to implement the construction of high-standard farmland, the plan has made special arrangements for permanent basic farmland re-regulation, water resource supporting facilities, and capital investment, and proposed to uphold and strengthen the Party’s leadership over the construction of high-standard farmland, and implement a working mechanism of central coordination, provincial overall responsibility, municipal and county implementation, and mass participation.

Experts said that the plan not only clarifies the responsibilities of all parties, but also emphasizes actively guiding rural collective economic organizations, new agricultural operators, farmers, etc. to participate in the construction and operation and maintenance of high-standard farmland, and implementing farmers' right to know, right to participate, and right to supervise will help mobilize enthusiasm in all aspects and consolidate the foundation of food security.