2022 Central No. 1 Document: These areas will be different this year!

On February 22, the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Doing a Good Job in Key Tasks for Fully Promoting Rural Revitalization in 2022”—commonly known as the 2022 No. 1 Central Document—was officially released. This marks the nineteenth consecutive year that the No. 1 Central Document has focused on China’s “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” issues.

The document states that, in order to respond with composure to the profound changes of the century and the ongoing pandemic and to promote steady and sound economic and social development, it is essential to align efforts with the country’s major strategic priorities, consolidate the foundation of agriculture, deliver on “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” work, and continue to advance rural revitalization in a comprehensive manner.

Key Points of Document No. 1

These contents are different from previous years.

As the second Central No. 1 Document issued after the start of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, how many elements in this year’s document are being mentioned for the first time compared with previous years, and which ones have been clarified for the first time?

After nine years, the minimum procurement prices for rice and wheat have once again been raised.

Ensuring farmers’ incomes from grain production is one of the key priorities highlighted in this year’s No. 1 Central Document, which explicitly states that the minimum purchase prices for rice and wheat will be appropriately raised in 2022. In fact, over the years, when the No. 1 Document has addressed the minimum purchase price policy for rice and wheat, its focus has typically been on “improving” or “adjusting” the system. According to a review by a Beijing News reporter, this marks the first time in nine years—since 2013—that the No. 1 Document has explicitly called for raising the minimum purchase prices for rice and wheat.

Soybean oilseeds are receiving unprecedented attention, and a capacity‑boosting initiative is being implemented.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Central No. 1 Document has devoted attention to soybeans and oilseed crops for 12 consecutive years. Since their inclusion in 2009, soybeans and oilseeds have rarely been absent from the document. This year, the document places them even more prominently, dedicating greater space to explicitly call for a vigorous effort to boost the production capacity of soybeans and oilseed crops, while increasing subsidies for crop rotation on cultivated land and rewards for major oilseed-producing counties. It also outlines numerous specific measures and pathways to support this capacity‑building initiative. Beginning in 2003, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched pilot programs for strip intercropping of soybeans and corn. By 2021, the nationwide area under this practice had exceeded 7 million mu, and the system has largely reached maturity. Reportedly, this approach will be one of the key technical measures promoted by the ministry in 2022 to expand the production of soybeans and oilseed crops.

Focus on the carbon sink sector: Carbon‑reduction and carbon‑enhancement agricultural technologies make their debut in official documents.

In advancing green development in agriculture and rural areas, the 2022 No. 1 Central Document once again highlights the carbon‑sink sector, calling for the research and application of agricultural technologies that reduce emissions while enhancing carbon sequestration, and for exploring mechanisms to realize the value of carbon‑sink products. In fact, the document has consistently maintained a focus on carbon sinks. As early as 2010, the term “carbon sink” was first included, urging “a substantial increase in forest carbon sinks.” Subsequently, in 2015 and 2018, policies supporting the development of carbon‑sink forestry and market‑based compensation schemes for forest carbon sinks were also incorporated into the document. It can be said that, since the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, every subsequent five-year plan has featured attention to carbon sinks. The 2022 No. 1 Central Document marks the first time that emphasis has been extended to carbon‑reduction and carbon‑enhancement agricultural technologies, and it also represents the first mention of the concept of carbon sinks during China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period.

For the first time, attention is being given to medium- and long-term climate change, with increased investment in disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief efforts.

This year, Document No. 1 places unprecedented emphasis on enhancing the capacity to effectively prevent and respond to major agricultural disasters. It specifically calls for scaling up efforts and increasing investment in building disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities in agriculture, while also highlighting the need to accelerate the deployment of proactive emergency broadcast terminals in rural areas and to provide guidance on the safe and timely evacuation of personnel. This marks the first time that a rural emergency broadcasting system has been included in Document No. 1. In addition, the document for the first time proposes strengthening research into the medium- and long-term impacts of climate change on agriculture.

“Livestreaming e-commerce” has been explicitly included in official documents, with the aim of promoting industry standardization.

According to the No. 1 Central Document of 2022, in advancing the integrated development of rural primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, the document calls for implementing the “Digital Commerce Boosts Agriculture” initiative, expanding e‑commerce into rural areas, and fostering the standardized and sound growth of livestreaming sales of agricultural and sideline products. Livestreaming commerce burst onto the scene in 2020, a year often hailed as its inaugural year. Two years later, “livestreaming sales of agricultural and sideline products” was explicitly included in the No. 1 Document, making the question of how to promote its orderly and sustainable development an issue of even greater attention.

After a twelve-year hiatus, we once again examine the impact of clan networks on rural grassroots governance.

In ensuring the basic stability of rural society, this year’s No. 1 Document, in addition to focusing on public security, the rule of law, and the campaign to eliminate organized crime and evil forces, also calls for “preventing the erosion and influence of criminal gangs, family clans, and clan-based power structures on grassroots governance in rural areas.” This marks the first time in twelve years—since the 2010 Central No. 1 Document—that the document has once again addressed the influence of family and clan networks in rural areas.

Focusing on the development of rural civilization: village songs, village galas, and square dancing have been included in the policy for the first time.

In the sixth section of the 2022 Central No. 1 Document, the document highlights the need to innovate effective platforms and mechanisms for fostering rural spiritual civilization, calling for “the integration of resources for cultural programs that benefit the people, and support for farmers to spontaneously organize village songs, ‘village galas,’ square dancing, fun sports events, and other cultural and sporting activities that reflect the charm and flavor of agricultural life.” In previous editions of the No. 1 Document, there had been no prior mention of attention to rural agricultural and folk‑culture activities.

No competition with food crops: 1.3 trillion jin is the minimum threshold for grain production.

While emphasizing stability, the 2022 Central No. 1 Document further refined earlier policy requirements and continued to set clear red lines and bottom lines for grain production and the development of high-standard farmland.

The document calls for ensuring that China’s food security remains firmly in its own hands at all times, with stable grain‑sowing acreage and a total output maintained above 1.3 trillion jin. In terms of high-standard farmland development, in 2022, funding will be increased through multiple channels to build 100 million mu of such farmland.

Meanwhile, efforts to protect arable land have been further strengthened through enhanced accountability and performance assessments. The document underscores the implementation of stringent, “tough‑as‑teeth” measures for arable‑land protection, specifying a clear hierarchy of land‑use priorities: permanent basic farmland is to be prioritized for grain production, and high‑standard farmland is, in principle, to be used exclusively for grain cultivation. It also mandates that new forestry and fruit‑tree projects be developed on hillsides and slopes, ensuring that they do not compete with grain production for arable land.

Source: Sina Finance