The Central Rural Work Conference, which was held from Monday to Tuesday in Beijing, reviewed the current situation and challenges in agriculture, rural areas and farmers' work, while setting priorities for China's agricultural development in 2026.
Modernizing agriculture and rural areas, boosting grain production and raising farmers' incomes were top priorities at this year's meeting, aimed at advancing China's comprehensive rural revitalization.
The conference emphasized that modernizing agriculture and rural areas is key to China's overall progress and the quality of its modernization. Grain production remains a major focus, with efforts next year aimed at stabilizing output of grain and oil products to strengthen China's agricultural capacity.
China reaped another bumper harvest in 2025, with grain output topping 714 million tons, according to National Bureau of Statistics data, driven by increases in planting area and yield per unit.
The conference also called for stronger agricultural policies to benefit farmers, improve rural living standards, consolidate gains in poverty alleviation and improve governance and social civility in rural areas.
"In order to promote modernization of agriculture and rural areas, emphasis should be put on enhancing production output and capacity, improving production and ecology and increasing both production and income," said Dong Qiang, a professor at the College of Humanities and Development Studies of China Agricultural University.
The conference emphasized the need for technological breakthroughs and the application of scientific advances to safeguard China's food security.
"Scientific and technological achievements should not be confined to journals or research departments — they should be truly applied in the field to benefit farmers," Dong said.
China's central rural work conference outlines roadmap for rural revitalization
