The China Media Group (CMG) on Saturday unveiled the top 10 stories highlighting China’s rural revitalization efforts in 2024. These stories, ranging from significant policy developments to remarkable achievements in agriculture and infrastructure, showcase the nation’s commitment to advancing rural areas and improving the livelihoods of farmers.
1. CPC Central Committee’s Third Plenary Session
The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its third plenary session in Beijing from July 15 to 18, 2024. The meeting made systematic arrangements to promote institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development and clarified key tasks for agricultural and rural reform.
2. Central Rural Work Conference
The Central Rural Work Conference convened in Beijing from December 17 to 18. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered important instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. He acknowledged the achievements in 2024 and set clear requirements for agricultural work in 2025, urging efforts to promote integrated urban-rural development, deepen rural reform, improve the support system for strengthening agriculture, benefit farmers, increase incomes, and comprehensively promote rural revitalization.
3. Release of “No. 1 Central Document”
China unveiled its “No. 1 central document” for 2024 on February 3. It emphasized the need to draw on and apply experience from the Green Rural Revival Program in east China’s Zhejiang Province to vigorously and effectively promote comprehensive rural revitalization.
4. 70th Anniversary of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, Xi urged cooperatives to build integrated platforms serving farmers’ production and lives, promote modern agriculture development, and act as bridges for the Communist Party of China and the government to maintain close ties with farmers.
5. Record High Grain Output
China’s 2024 grain output hit a record high of 1.413 trillion jin (706.5 million tonnes). This marks the first time the national grain output has exceeded the 1.4-trillion-jin threshold after nine consecutive years of production above 1.3 trillion jin.
6. Increase in Farmland
By strengthening farmland protection, improving farmland quality, and strictly observing the red line for farmland protection, China’s total farmland reached 1.918 billion mu (128 million hectares) in 2024, marking a net increase for three consecutive years.
7. Completion of Agricultural Germplasm Survey
China completed its largest, most extensive, and most participatory national agricultural germplasm resources survey. The three-year survey, finished in 2024, clarified the types, quantities, regional distribution, and characteristics of germplasm resources for crops, livestock, and aquaculture.
8. National Plan for Rural Elderly Care
In June, China released a guidance document for elderly care in rural areas, the country’s first national-level plan in this field.
9. Greening of the Taklimakan Desert
On November 28, the Taklimakan Desert—China’s largest desert and the world’s second-largest shifting sand desert—was completely encircled with a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 kilometers. The greening efforts have advanced, causing the desert to retreat in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
10. Growth in Rural Logistics
In 2024, the growth rate of express delivery business volume in central and western regions of China exceeded the national average, continuously increasing its proportion of the country’s total. China has built over 337,800 village-level logistics service centers with multiple functions and purposes.
These top stories reflect China’s substantial progress in rural revitalization, showcasing efforts to modernize agriculture, protect the environment, improve infrastructure, and enhance the well-being of rural residents.
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CMG reveals top 10 news for China's rural revitalization in 2024
cgtn.com
