Agriculture Law of the PRC — Full English Translation (2026 Revision)

Adopted at the 2nd Session of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress on July 2, 1993; first revised at the 31st Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress on December 28, 2002; first amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending Certain Laws adopted at the 10th Session of the Standing Committee of the Eleventh National People’s Congress on August 27, 2009; second amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Agriculture Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted at the 30th Session of the Standing Committee of the Eleventh National People’s Congress on December 28, 2012; and second revised at the 24th Session of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress on August 28, 2026

Effective: January 1, 2027

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution for the purposes of consolidating and strengthening the fundamental position of agriculture in the national economy, deepening rural reform, protecting agricultural resources, developing agricultural productive forces, advancing agricultural modernization, safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, increasing farmers’ income, raising the scientific and cultural quality of farmers, promoting the sustained, stable and sound development of agriculture and the rural economy, advancing comprehensive rural revitalization, accelerating the building of an agricultural power, and comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

Article 2 — “Agriculture” as used in this Law means crop farming, forestry and grassland industry, animal husbandry, fishery and other industries, as well as the pre-production, in-production and post-production services directly related thereto.

“Agricultural production and operation organizations” as used in this Law means rural collective economic organizations, specialized farmer cooperatives, agricultural enterprises, and other organizations engaged in agricultural production and operation.

Article 3 — Agricultural and rural work shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China, implement the new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, promote high-quality development, and coordinate development and security.

The State shall adhere to prioritizing the development of agriculture and rural areas, place agriculture at the top of the development of the national economy, and coordinate the development of science and technology-driven agriculture, green agriculture, quality agriculture and brand agriculture.

The basic objectives of agricultural and rural economic development are: to improve the rural economic system that meets the requirements of developing a socialist market economy, continuously liberate and develop rural productive forces, enhance the comprehensive production capacity and quality and efficiency of agriculture, ensure the stable and secure supply of grain and other important agricultural products, meet the needs of national economic development and the people’s aspirations for a better life, raise farmers’ income and living standards, promote multi-channel employment of rural labor, advance the building of livable, business-friendly and beautiful villages, narrow the urban-rural gap and regional disparities, promote integrated urban-rural development, and progressively realize agricultural and rural modernization.

Article 4 — The State shall uphold and improve the basic socialist economic systems, including the system whereby public ownership is dominant and diverse forms of ownership develop side by side, the distribution system whereby distribution according to work is dominant and multiple modes of distribution coexist, and the socialist market economy, and revitalize the rural economy.

The State shall consolidate and improve the two-tier management system in rural areas that combines unified and separate management on the basis of household contract management, and improve a convenient and efficient agricultural socialized service system.

The State shall protect the lawful rights and interests of rural collective economic organizations and their members, regulate rural collective economic organizations and their operation and management, promote the development of rural collective economic organizations, and expand the new rural collective economy.

Article 5 — The State shall uphold a broad concept of agriculture and a broad concept of food, adhere to developing crop farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery simultaneously, ensure food security, and build a diversified food supply system.

Article 6 — The State shall take measures to expand the multiple functions of agriculture, ensuring that agriculture better plays its role in providing food, industrial raw materials and other agricultural products, maintaining and improving the ecological environment, carrying forward the fine traditional Chinese farming culture, and promoting rural economic and social development.

Article 7 — The State shall adhere to the policy of developing agriculture through science and education and of sustainable agricultural development, develop new quality productive forces in agriculture in light of local conditions, and advance the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.

The State shall take measures to strengthen the construction of agricultural and rural infrastructure, adjust and optimize the agricultural and rural economic structure, promote the industrialized operation of agriculture, develop agricultural science and technology, education and talent, cultivate agricultural science and technology and management personnel, promote green agricultural development, protect the agricultural ecological environment, advance the mechanization, informatization and intellectualization of agriculture, and enhance the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture.

Article 8 — The State shall regard increasing farmers’ income as the central task of agricultural and rural work. People’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments shall take measures to increase farmers’ income, effectively lighten the burden on farmers, narrow the income gap between urban and rural residents, and steadily promote common prosperity.

The State shall protect the lawful property and other lawful rights and interests of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations from infringement.

Article 9 — The whole society shall attach great importance to agriculture and rural areas and support agricultural and rural development.

Units and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to agricultural and rural work shall be commended and rewarded in accordance with relevant State provisions.

Article 10 — People’s governments at all levels shall be uniformly responsible for the development of agriculture and the rural economy, and shall organize all relevant departments and the whole society to do well the work of developing agriculture and serving the development of agriculture.

The competent department for agriculture and rural affairs under the State Council shall be in charge of agriculture and rural economic development nationwide; the competent department for forestry and grassland under the State Council and other relevant departments shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for the relevant work of agriculture and rural economic development.

The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for crop farming, animal husbandry, fishery and other agricultural and rural economic development within their respective administrative areas, and the competent departments for forestry and grassland shall be responsible for forestry and grassland work within their respective administrative areas. Other relevant departments of local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective duties, be responsible for the relevant work of serving agricultural production and operation within their respective administrative areas.

Article 11 — The State shall adhere to the principle of equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, support international exchanges and cooperation in the field of agriculture, and actively participate in international governance of sustainable agricultural development and food security.

Chapter II — Agricultural Production and Operation Systems

Article 12 — The State shall implement the system of rural land contract management, ensure in accordance with law the stability and long-term validity of rural land contract relationships, and protect farmers’ rights to contracted land management. The State shall protect the circulation of land management rights by contractors in accordance with law and on a voluntary and compensated basis, and protect the lawful rights and interests of holders of land management rights.

Rural collective economic organizations shall, on the basis of household contract management, manage and operate collective property in accordance with law, provide production, technical, information and other services to their members, organize the rational development, utilization and protection of collective resources, and strengthen their economic strength.

The State shall promote the building of a modern agricultural industrial system, production system and management system, develop appropriately scaled agricultural operations, and realize the organic connection between household operations and the development of modern agriculture.

Article 13 — The State shall encourage the development of specialized farmer cooperatives on the basis of household contract management in accordance with law and on a voluntary basis.

Specialized farmer cooperatives shall adhere to the purpose of serving their members, and, in accordance with the principles of voluntary joining, free withdrawal, democratic management and surplus return, carry out agricultural production and operation and service activities within the scope prescribed by their charters in accordance with law.

Specialized farmer cooperatives shall be established and registered in accordance with law and obtain legal-person status. No unit or individual may infringe upon the lawful property, operational autonomy and other lawful rights and interests of specialized farmer cooperatives.

Article 14 — Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations may, on a voluntary basis and in accordance with the principle of combining democratic management, distribution according to work and distribution of dividends according to shares, invest funds, technology, physical objects and the like as shares and establish various types of enterprises in accordance with law.

Article 15 — The State shall encourage and support the development of family farms that take the household as the basic unit of operation and implement appropriately scaled operations, guide them to adapt to modern agriculture, and raise their intensification level and operational efficiency. Rural collective economic organizations may support the development of family farms by providing technical, information and other services.

Article 16 — The State shall strengthen the planning and construction of state-owned farms, forest farms, pastures and fishing grounds, and better play their demonstrative and leading role in developing modern agriculture.

The lawful land rights and interests of state-owned farms, forest farms, pastures and fishing grounds shall be protected by law. Land used by state-owned farms, forest farms, pastures and fishing grounds shall not be recovered without authorization unless approval procedures have been completed in accordance with State provisions.

Article 17 — The State shall encourage supply and marketing cooperatives, rural collective economic organizations, specialized farmer cooperatives, agricultural enterprises, other organizations and individuals to develop multi-level and multi-type specialized services, and raise the level of socialized services for agriculture before, during and after production.

Article 18 — The State shall take measures to develop various forms of industrialized agricultural operations, and encourage and support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to develop integrated operations of production, processing and marketing.

The State shall guide and support enterprises, scientific research institutions and other organizations engaged in the production, processing and circulation services of agricultural products to form interest communities featuring shared benefits and shared risks, through concluding contracts with farmers, rural collective economic organizations and specialized farmer cooperatives or establishing various types of enterprises, so as to promote industrialized agricultural operations and drive agricultural development.

Article 19 — Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations may, in accordance with laws and administrative regulations, establish organizations such as industry associations for agricultural products to provide production, marketing, information, technology, training and other services to their members, play a coordinating and self-disciplinary role, submit applications for trade remedy measures for agricultural products, and safeguard the interests of their members and the industry.

Chapter III — Agricultural Production

Article 20 — The State Council and the people’s governments of provinces shall formulate agricultural development plans in accordance with the national economic and social development plans, the basic objectives of agricultural and rural economic development, and the regionalization of agricultural resources.

The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall, in accordance with agricultural development plans, take measures to give play to regional advantages, promote the formation of a rational regional layout of agricultural production, and guide and coordinate the adjustment of the agricultural and rural economic structure. The competent departments for development and reform, finance, natural resources, water administration, forestry and grassland and other departments of people’s governments at or above the provincial level shall, in accordance with their respective duties, take measures to implement agricultural development plans and promote the development of relevant industries.

People’s governments at the level of cities divided into districts and at the county level shall formulate and organize the implementation of agricultural development plans according to actual needs.

Article 21 — The State shall guide and support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to, in light of local realities and in accordance with market demand and the carrying capacity of the ecological environment, adjust and optimize the structure and regional layout of agricultural production, develop crop farming, forestry and grassland industry, animal husbandry and fishery in a coordinated manner, develop high-quality, high-yield and high-efficiency agriculture, and enhance the international competitiveness of agricultural products.

Crop farming shall, centering on optimizing varieties, improving quality and increasing benefits, adjust the crop structure, variety structure and quality structure, and develop the production of grain and agricultural products such as cotton, oilseeds, sugar crops and vegetables, as well as forage grass and feed.

Forestry and grassland ecological development shall be strengthened; the protection and restoration of natural forests and basic grasslands and the prevention and control of desertification shall be advanced; the construction of shelter forest systems shall be strengthened; and, on the premise of ensuring ecological security, commercial forests and under-forest economy shall be developed, forestry and grassland industry shall be developed and expanded, and the supply of forestry and grassland products shall be increased.

To develop animal husbandry, the breeding and promotion of improved breeds of livestock and poultry shall be strengthened, reasonable demand for land for livestock and poultry breeding shall be ensured, grassland protection and grassland animal husbandry development shall be advanced in a coordinated manner, stall-feeding and housing-based feeding shall be promoted, and the forage grass industry, feed industry and livestock and poultry product processing industry shall be actively developed.

Fishery production shall protect and rationally utilize fishery resources, adjust the fishing structure, and actively develop aquaculture, distant-water fishery and aquatic product processing industry.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall formulate policies and arrange funds to guide and support the adjustment of the agricultural structure.

Article 22 — People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to strengthen the construction of agricultural and rural infrastructure such as comprehensive agricultural development and farmland water conservancy, agricultural ecological environment protection, rural roads, rural energy and power grids, storage and circulation of agricultural products, fishing ports, grassland fencing, bases of original and improved breeds of animals and plants, agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation, and agricultural and rural informatization, so as to improve agricultural production conditions and protect and enhance the comprehensive production capacity of agriculture.

Article 23 — The State shall support the selection and breeding, production, renewal and promotion of improved animal and plant varieties, encourage the combination of variety selection and breeding with production and operation, implement the modern seed industry upgrading project, advance the breeding of improved animal and plant varieties and the tackling of key breeding technologies, safeguard seed industry security, and raise the modernization level of the seed industry. The State Council and the people’s governments of provinces shall establish special funds to support the selection, breeding and promotion of improved animal and plant varieties.

Article 24 — People’s governments at all levels and agricultural production and operation organizations shall strengthen the construction, management and protection of farmland water conservancy facilities, conserve water, promote water-saving and efficiency-enhancing agriculture and develop high-efficiency water-saving agriculture in light of local conditions, ensure the demand for agricultural water, strictly control the occupation of irrigation water sources by non-agricultural construction in accordance with law, and prohibit any unit or individual from illegally occupying or damaging farmland water conservancy facilities.

The State shall provide key support for promoting water-saving and efficiency-enhancing agriculture and developing high-efficiency water-saving agriculture in water-scarce areas.

Article 25 — The State shall encourage and support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in using advanced and appropriate agricultural machinery, strengthen the safety management of agricultural machinery, and raise the level of agricultural mechanization.

The State shall provide support for farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in purchasing and using advanced and appropriate agricultural machinery.

Article 26 — People’s governments at all levels shall support the development of meteorological services for agriculture, strengthen the construction of a comprehensive agricultural meteorological monitoring network, and raise the level of monitoring, forecasting and early warning of meteorological disasters.

Article 27 — The State shall take measures to improve the quality of agricultural products, establish and improve the quality and safety standards, inspection, testing and supervision systems for agricultural products, guide and organize the production and operation of agricultural products in accordance with relevant technical specifications, operating procedures and standards, advance the traceability management of agricultural product quality and safety, and ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products.

Article 28 — The State shall encourage and support the development of high-quality agricultural product production, and support the establishment and improvement of certification and labeling systems for high-quality agricultural products in accordance with law. High-quality agricultural products that meet the standards prescribed by the State may apply to use the relevant labels in accordance with the provisions of laws and administrative regulations. Agricultural products that meet the requirements of prescribed places of origin and production specifications may apply to use geographical indications in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations.

Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in light of local conditions and in accordance with law, take measures to support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in maintaining and building a sound environment of places of origin of high-quality agricultural products, scientifically and rationally using agricultural inputs, implementing quality control in the production process, promoting quality improvement, actively building brands, and improving the quality, benefits and competitiveness of agriculture.

Article 29 — The State shall implement the systems of animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, improve the animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine system, improve the monitoring and early-warning network for animal and plant epidemics, strengthen the monitoring, early warning and prevention and control of animal diseases and plant diseases, insect pests, weeds, rodent pests and other harmful organisms, establish a rapid eradication mechanism for major animal and plant epidemics, build areas free of prescribed animal diseases, and implement the project for enhancing animal and plant protection capacity.

Article 30 — The production and operation of agricultural production materials that may endanger the safety of humans and livestock, such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed and feed additives, fertilizers, seeds, agricultural machinery and veterinary instruments, shall implement the filing, registration or licensing systems in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations.

People’s governments at all levels shall establish and improve the safe-use and quality-monitoring systems for agricultural production materials. Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall implement the provisions on the use of agricultural production materials and shall not use pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed additives, agricultural films and other agricultural production materials and other toxic and hazardous substances that the State has expressly ordered to be eliminated or prohibited.

Producers and sellers of agricultural production materials shall be responsible for the quality of the products they produce or sell, and shall be prohibited from passing off inferior products as superior ones, passing off fake products as genuine ones, or passing off substandard products as qualified ones; the production and sale of pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed additives, agricultural machinery, agricultural films and other agricultural production materials that the State has expressly ordered to be eliminated shall be prohibited.

Chapter IV — Circulation and Processing of Agricultural Products

Article 31 — The purchase and sale of agricultural products shall be subject to market regulation. The State shall improve the market monitoring and early-warning mechanism for agricultural products, exercise necessary macro-control over the purchase and sale of grain and other important agricultural products that are vital to the national economy and the people’s livelihood, establish a central and local tiered reserve adjustment system, and improve the warehousing and transportation system so as to ensure supply and stabilize the market.

Article 32 — The State shall progressively establish a unified, open, competitive and orderly agricultural product market system. The State shall provide support for rural collective economic organizations and specialized farmer cooperatives in establishing wholesale markets and trade markets for agricultural products.

The market supervision and administration departments of people’s governments at or above the county level and other relevant departments shall, in accordance with their respective duties, manage agricultural product wholesale markets in accordance with law, regulate transaction order, and prevent local protectionism and unfair competition.

Article 33 — The State shall encourage and support the development of various forms of agricultural product circulation activities. Farmers and specialized farmer cooperatives shall be supported in engaging in the purchase, wholesale, storage, transportation, retail and intermediary activities of agricultural products in accordance with relevant State provisions. Supply and marketing cooperatives and other agricultural production and operation organizations engaged in the purchase and sale of agricultural products shall be encouraged to provide market information, open up agricultural product circulation channels, and serve the sale of agricultural products.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to urge relevant departments to ensure the smooth transportation of agricultural products and reduce the circulation costs of agricultural products. Relevant departments shall simplify procedures to facilitate the transportation of fresh and live agricultural products, and shall not detain the means of transport of fresh and live agricultural products except as otherwise provided by laws and administrative regulations.

Article 34 — Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall support the construction of facilities for grain drying, product grading, cold storage and preservation at the places of origin of agricultural products, and cold-chain logistics, support the improvement of the county-township-village logistics distribution system, raise the technical level of storage and transportation of agricultural products, and enhance the capacity to ensure supply.

The State shall take measures to guide the integrated development of e-commerce with rural characteristic industries and rural delivery logistics, and improve the rural e-commerce service network. The market supervision and administration, agriculture and rural affairs and other departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with their duties, strengthen supervision over the sale of agricultural products and agricultural production materials through e-commerce.

Article 35 — The State shall support the development of the agricultural product processing industry and the food industry, promote the optimization and upgrading of the agricultural product processing industry, and increase the added value of agricultural products. People’s governments at or above the county level shall guide the agricultural product processing industry to form a rational regional layout and scale structure, and support the processing and comprehensive development and utilization of agricultural products.

The State shall establish and improve quality standards for processed agricultural products, improve testing means, enhance testing capacity, and strengthen quality and safety management and supervision in the processing of agricultural products so as to ensure quality and safety.

Article 36 — The State shall encourage the development of import and export trade in agricultural products and trade in agricultural services.

The State shall take measures such as strengthening international market research and providing information and marketing services to promote the export of agricultural products.

In order to maintain the production and marketing order of agricultural products and fair trade, an import early-warning system for agricultural products shall be established. When certain imported commodities have caused or may cause a major adverse impact on the production of relevant domestic agricultural products, the State may take necessary measures.

Chapter V — Food Security

Article 37 — The State shall implement a national food security strategy based on domestic supply, relying on domestic production capacity, ensuring capacity, importing moderately and supported by science and technology, adhere to storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology, and ensure basic self-sufficiency in cereals and absolute security of staple grains.

Article 38 — The State shall take measures to protect and improve the comprehensive grain production capacity, steadily raise the level of grain production, and ensure food security.

Article 39 — The State shall provide key support to major grain-producing areas in terms of policy, funds and technology, build stable bases for commercial grain production, improve grain purchase, storage and processing facilities, and raise the level and economic benefits of grain production, processing, storage and transportation in major grain-producing areas.

The State shall improve the mechanism for compensating the interests of major grain-producing areas, improve the fiscal transfer payment system for major grain-producing areas and major grain-producing counties, improve the inter-provincial horizontal interest compensation mechanism between grain-producing areas and grain-marketing areas, and mobilize the initiative of local people’s governments at or above the county level in developing grain production.

The State shall support major grain-producing areas and major grain-marketing areas in establishing stable purchase and sale cooperation relationships.

Article 40 — The State shall improve the mechanism for safeguarding the returns of grain producers, improve the policy system for prices, subsidies and insurance, improve the mechanism for ensuring supply and stabilizing prices of agricultural production materials, and protect the initiative of grain producers in growing grain.

Article 41 — The State shall strengthen regulation of the grain market.

When the market price of grain is too low, the State Council may decide to implement a price support system for key grain varieties. The support price shall be determined in accordance with the principle of being conducive to protecting farmers’ interests and stabilizing grain production.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall organize relevant departments and the purchasing units entrusted by the State to raise funds for policy-based grain purchase in full and in a timely manner; state policy-based financial institutions shall provide financial support in accordance with State provisions; and no department, unit or individual may intercept or divert such funds.

Article 42 — The State shall establish a monitoring and early-warning system for food security, establish a government grain reserve system, improve the grain emergency management system, and take measures to ensure grain supply. The State Council shall formulate food security guarantee targets and grain reserve quantity indicators, and organize relevant competent departments to inspect the situation of cultivated land and grain stocks as needed.

The State shall implement central government reserves and local government reserves for grain and build a warehousing and transportation system. Enterprises or other organizations undertaking government grain reserves shall ensure the quantity and quality of reserve grain in accordance with laws, regulations and relevant State provisions.

Article 43 — The State shall establish a grain risk fund to support grain reserves and stabilize the grain market, among other purposes.

Article 44 — The State shall advocate cherishing and conserving grain, and take measures to reduce losses and waste in grain production, storage, circulation, processing, consumption and other links and prevent waste.

The State shall take measures to promote the effective supply of various kinds of food, meet the diversified food consumption needs of the people, and improve the nutritional structure of the people’s food. The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs, forestry and grassland and other departments under the State Council shall take measures to raise the development level of relevant food industries.

Chapter VI — Agricultural Inputs, Support and Protection

Article 45 — The State shall promote the accelerated formation of a pattern of agricultural and rural investment with priority fiscal guarantee, key financial support and diversified social participation. The State shall enhance the effectiveness of the policies of strengthening, benefiting and enriching agriculture and farmers.

The State shall improve the agricultural support and protection system, and take measures such as fiscal investment, tax preferences and financial support to support the development of agricultural production by farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations and raise farmers’ income levels in terms of capital investment, scientific research and technology promotion, education and training, the supply of agricultural production materials, market information, quality standards, inspection and quarantine, socialized services, and disaster prevention and relief.

The State Council and its relevant departments shall formulate and organize the implementation of support policies for improving agricultural production conditions, protecting the agricultural ecological environment and increasing farmers’ income.

Article 46 — The State shall progressively raise the overall level of agricultural inputs, adhere to treating agriculture as a priority area for fiscal guarantee, and establish and improve a mechanism for the stable growth of agricultural inputs. The annual growth rate of total agricultural inputs of the central government and local governments at or above the county level shall be higher than the growth rate of their regular fiscal revenue.

The funds for agriculture arranged by people’s governments at all levels within their fiscal budgets shall be mainly used to: strengthen the construction of agricultural infrastructure; support the adjustment of the agricultural structure and promote industrialized agricultural operations; protect the comprehensive grain production capacity and ensure national food security; improve the animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine system and strengthen the prevention and control of animal diseases and plant diseases, insect pests, weeds, rodent pests and other harmful organisms; support agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation; establish and improve the quality and safety standards and inspection, testing and supervision systems for agricultural products, and the agricultural product market and information service systems; support agricultural scientific research and education, agricultural technology promotion, farmer training and rural talent cultivation; promote green agricultural development and strengthen agricultural ecological environment protection and development; and ensure farmers’ income levels.

The agricultural capital construction inputs of finance at or above the county level for crop farming, forestry and grassland industry, animal husbandry, fishery, and farmland water conservancy shall be arranged in a coordinated manner and grow in a coordinated way.

The State shall deeply implement the regional coordinated development strategy, major regional strategies, the functional zoning strategy and the new urbanization strategy, support the development of underdeveloped areas, and increase inputs for agricultural development and ecological environment protection.

Article 47 — The funds for agriculture arranged by people’s governments at or above the county level within their fiscal budgets each year shall be allocated in full and in a timely manner. People’s governments at all levels shall strengthen supervision and management over the allocation and use of various State agricultural funds, ensure the safety of funds, and improve the efficiency of fund use.

No unit or individual may intercept or divert fiscal funds and credit funds used for agriculture. Auditing organs shall strengthen auditing supervision over fiscal and credit funds and other funds used for agriculture in accordance with law.

Article 48 — The State shall use means such as taxation, prices, credit, awards and subsidies to encourage and guide farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to increase inputs in agricultural production and operation and in capital construction such as small-scale farmland water conservancy.

The State shall encourage and support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in raising agricultural funds through various forms in accordance with law and on a voluntary basis.

Article 49 — The State shall encourage and guide social funds to be invested in agriculture, and encourage enterprises, public institutions, social organizations and individuals to donate funds to establish funds for supporting agricultural development and agricultural science and technology, education and the like.

The State shall take measures to promote the expansion of the utilization of foreign capital in agriculture.

Article 50 — People’s governments at all levels shall encourage and support enterprises, public institutions and other types of economic organizations in providing agricultural information services.

The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level and other relevant departments shall establish systems for collecting, sorting, analyzing and publishing agricultural information, and provide market information and other services to farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in a timely manner.

Article 51 — The State shall encourage and support the development of the agricultural input industry.

The State shall use means such as taxation and credit to encourage and support the production and trade of agricultural production materials, and provide material guarantee for the stable development of agricultural production.

The State shall, by lawfully exercising macro-control measures over major agricultural production materials such as fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural diesel, agricultural electricity and agricultural water, safeguard the production benefits of major agricultural products.

Article 52 — People’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall take measures to provide support for the cause of agricultural socialized services.

For cross-region engagement in agricultural socialized services, the agriculture and rural affairs, market supervision and administration, transportation, public security and other relevant departments shall take measures to provide support.

Article 53 — The State shall establish and improve a multi-level, broad-coverage and sustainable rural financial system, promote the facilitation of financial services, strengthen the construction of the rural credit system and rural financial supervision, and raise the level of rural financial services.

Relevant financial institutions shall take measures to increase credit inputs, improve rural financial services, and provide credit support for agricultural production and operation activities.

Small and medium-sized rural financial institutions such as rural commercial banks and rural credit cooperatives shall adhere to the purpose of serving the development of agriculture, farmers and rural areas, and give priority to providing credit services for the production and operation activities of local farmers.

The State shall, through interest subsidies and other measures, encourage financial institutions to provide loans for the agricultural production and operation activities of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations and reduce financing costs.

The State shall establish and improve the agricultural credit guarantee system. Agricultural credit guarantee institutions established with fiscal funds shall mainly serve business entities engaged in agricultural production and business entities directly related to agricultural production.

Article 54 — The State shall improve the agricultural insurance system, develop multi-level agricultural insurance, enrich insurance varieties, raise the level of protection and service quality, and give play to the role of agricultural insurance in stabilizing agricultural production, reducing disaster losses and safeguarding income.

The State shall improve the policy-based agricultural insurance system and improve the mechanism for dispersing catastrophe risks in agricultural insurance supported by finance. The finance departments of people’s governments at or above the county level shall implement subsidies for agricultural insurance premiums in accordance with State provisions. Relevant departments under the State Council shall, in accordance with law, strengthen the review of the fairness and rationality of agricultural insurance clauses and premium rates, improve the effectiveness of the use of fiscal subsidy funds, and strengthen supervision over agricultural insurance.

The State shall encourage and support commercial insurance companies and mutual-aid cooperative insurance organizations in carrying out agricultural insurance business in accordance with law.

Agricultural insurance shall follow the principles of government guidance, market operation, voluntary participation and coordinated advancement. No unit or individual may compel farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to participate in agricultural insurance.

Article 55 — The State shall encourage financial institutions and agriculture-related enterprises that meet the requirements to issue bonds for agriculture. Government bonds issued in accordance with State provisions shall increase their support for the development of modern agriculture.

The State shall improve the mechanism for multi-level capital markets to support agriculture, guide the steady and sound development of the agricultural product futures market, and give play to the functions of the futures market in price discovery, risk management and resource allocation.

Article 56 — People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to raise the capacity of agriculture to defend against natural disasters, do well the work of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, help affected people resume production, organize self-help in production, and carry out social mutual assistance; and provide relief and support to affected people who lack basic living security.

Chapter VII — Agricultural Science and Technology, Education and Talent

Article 57 — The State Council and the people’s governments of provinces shall, through measures such as formulating and implementing relevant plans, promote the development of agricultural science and technology, education and talent.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall progressively increase funds for agricultural science and technology and agricultural education in accordance with relevant State provisions.

The State shall encourage and attract enterprises and other social forces to increase inputs in agricultural science and technology, and encourage farmers, agricultural production and operation organizations, enterprises, public institutions and the like to run agricultural science and technology and education undertakings in accordance with law.

Article 58 — The State shall take measures to strengthen agricultural scientific and technological innovation, build a national strategic force for agricultural science and technology, give play to the principal role of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, strengthen original innovation in agriculture and the tackling of key core technologies, raise agricultural labor productivity and the contribution rate of scientific and technological progress, and accelerate the realization of high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in agricultural science and technology.

The competent department for agriculture and rural affairs under the State Council and the people’s governments of provinces shall coordinate and integrate agricultural scientific and technological innovation resources, and strengthen the capacity building of innovation platforms and innovation entities.

Article 59 — The State shall protect intellectual property rights such as new plant varieties and geographical indications, encourage, support and guide institutions of higher learning, scientific research institutions and enterprises in strengthening basic and applied research in agricultural science and technology, disseminate and popularize agricultural scientific and technological knowledge, accelerate the transformation and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, and promote the progress of agricultural science and technology.

The State shall encourage the research, development, promotion and application of new varieties, new technologies, new equipment and new products in agriculture, and build a modern agricultural industrial technology system to meet the needs of raising the level of agricultural modernization.

The State shall support the development of smart agriculture and encourage the integration of new technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence with agricultural production, operation and management.

The State shall take measures to promote international exchanges and cooperation in agricultural science, technology and education, and encourage and support the introduction of advanced foreign technologies.

Article 60 — The State shall support the cause of agricultural technology promotion, and establish an agricultural technology promotion system that combines government support with market guidance, paid services with free services, and state agricultural technology promotion institutions with social forces, so as to promptly promote and apply advanced agricultural technologies and equipment.

Article 61 — State agricultural technology promotion institutions shall, relying on agricultural technology experimental demonstration bases, undertake public welfare duties such as the promotion and demonstration of key technologies needed by the public, and provide free agricultural technology services to farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the needs of agricultural production development, stabilize and strengthen the agricultural technology promotion teams and ensure the working funds of agricultural technology promotion institutions.

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to guarantee and improve, in accordance with State provisions, the working conditions, wages and living conditions of professional scientific and technical personnel engaged in agricultural technology promotion, and encourage them to serve agriculture.

Article 62 — Scientific research institutions, relevant schools, specialized farmer cooperatives, agriculture-related enterprises, mass scientific and technological organizations and relevant scientific and technical personnel may, in accordance with the needs of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, provide free services, or provide paid services and obtain lawful returns through forms such as technology transfer, technical services, technical contracting, technical consulting, technology licensing and technology investment. Scientific research institutions, relevant schools, specialized farmer cooperatives, agriculture-related enterprises, mass scientific and technological organizations and relevant scientific and technical personnel shall raise their service levels and ensure service quality.

The State shall grant preferences in taxation, credit and other aspects to enterprises serving agriculture run by scientific research institutions, relevant schools and agricultural technology promotion institutions.

The State shall encourage and support farmers, specialized farmer cooperatives, supply and marketing cooperatives, relevant associations and other enterprises and public institutions in participating in agricultural technology promotion work.

Article 63 — The State shall establish a continuing education system for agricultural professional and technical personnel. The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level shall, together with the education, human resources and social security and other relevant departments, formulate continuing education plans for agricultural professional and technical personnel and organize their implementation.

Article 64 — The State shall implement compulsory education in rural areas in accordance with law, establish and improve a unified urban-rural mechanism for guaranteeing compulsory education funds, and ensure compulsory education funds. The wages of teaching and administrative staff of ordinary primary and secondary schools run by the State in rural areas shall be uniformly distributed by the people’s governments at the county level in accordance with State provisions, and the funds for the construction and maintenance of teaching facilities such as school buildings shall be uniformly arranged by the people’s governments at the county level in accordance with State provisions.

Article 65 — The State shall develop agricultural higher education and vocational education, strengthen the construction of agriculture-related disciplines and specialties, and support the cultivation of urgently needed professional talent in short supply in agriculture.

Relevant departments under the State Council shall, in accordance with the unified provisions of the national occupational qualification and occupational skill level systems, formulate the occupational classification and occupational standards of the agricultural industry, and manage the occupational qualification certificates and occupational skill level certificates of the agricultural industry.

Article 66 — The State shall organize practical agricultural technology and skill training and other employment training, cultivate local rural talent, take measures to encourage farmers to adopt advanced agricultural technologies, support farmers in establishing various scientific and technological organizations, give play to the role of agricultural radio and television schools, and raise farmers’ cultural and technical quality and production and operation skills.

Chapter VIII — Protection of Agricultural Resources Including Land

Article 67 — To develop agriculture and the rural economy, natural resources such as land, water, forests, grasslands and wild animals and plants must be rationally utilized and protected, renewable energy and clean energy such as hydropower, wind power, solar energy, biomass energy and marine energy must be rationally developed and utilized, ecological agriculture must be developed, and the ecological environment must be protected and improved.

The State shall carry out surveys of agricultural resources in a planned manner. People’s governments at or above the county level shall formulate agricultural resource regionalization plans or regionalization plans for the rational utilization and protection of agricultural resources, and establish agricultural resource monitoring systems.

Article 68 — The State shall implement the strictest cultivated land protection system, implement special protection of permanent basic farmland in accordance with law, and ensure that the total quantity of cultivated land and permanent basic farmland determined in territorial spatial planning is not reduced, the quality is improved, and the ecological functions remain stable.

The State shall establish and implement a compensation system for cultivated land protection and quality improvement.

The State shall strictly control the conversion of cultivated land to non-cultivated land. Where cultivated land must be occupied, the responsibility for supplementing cultivated land shall be fulfilled in accordance with law. Local people’s governments at or above the county level may, in accordance with law, require that the topsoil of the cultivated layer of cultivated land occupied by non-agricultural construction be stripped and rationally utilized.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to strengthen soil improvement, fertility cultivation and remediation and restoration, organize the treatment of degraded cultivated land, improve farmland infrastructure, protect and improve cultivated land quality, and carry out investigation, monitoring and evaluation of cultivated land quality.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to strengthen the construction of high-standard farmland, clarify the construction content and construction standards, and improve the mechanisms for project initiation, construction, acceptance and management and protection.

Article 69 — The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in strengthening the construction of cultivated land quality and participating in the construction and management and protection of high-standard farmland.

Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall maintain cultivated land, use chemical fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural films scientifically and rationally, increase the use of organic fertilizers, adopt advanced technologies, protect and improve soil fertility, and prevent the pollution, destruction and fertility decline of agricultural land. The State shall encourage the use of agricultural films that are degradable and harmless in the ecological environment.

The State shall strengthen the protection of black soil, adhere to combining utilization with maintenance, and promote the sustainable utilization of black soil.

Article 70 — The State shall adhere to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, implement major ecosystem protection and restoration projects, and strengthen ecological protection and restoration.

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to strengthen comprehensive treatment of small watersheds and prevent and control water and soil loss. Units and individuals engaged in production and construction activities that may cause water and soil loss must take preventive measures and be responsible for treating the water and soil loss caused by their production and construction activities.

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to prevent land desertification and treat desertified land.

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to carry out the treatment and comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land in light of local conditions.

Article 71 — People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to organize the masses to plant trees and afforest, protect forest land and trees, prevent forest fires, prevent and control forestry harmful organisms, and stop the indiscriminate and illegal felling of trees, so as to raise forest coverage and forest growing stock. The State shall implement a national system of compulsory tree planting by all citizens.

The State shall implement a system of full protection of natural forests, strictly restrict the felling of natural forests, and protect and restore natural forests.

Article 72 — The relevant local people’s governments shall strengthen the protection, construction and management of grasslands, promote the development of grass and animal husbandry, guide and organize farmers (herdsmen) and agricultural (animal husbandry) production and operation organizations in building artificial grasslands, forage grass and feed bases and improving natural grasslands, implement the principle of determining livestock by grass and maintaining grass-livestock balance, rationally control the stocking capacity, implement the systems of grazing rest and grazing prohibition, promote rotational grazing by zones, protect grassland vegetation, strengthen the prevention and control of grassland fires, diseases and pests, and prevent grassland degradation, desertification, salinization, rocky desertification and water and soil loss.

Article 73 — It is prohibited to reclaim land by destroying forests and grasslands, by burning mountains, or on steep slopes the reclamation of which is prohibited by the State. It is prohibited to enclose lakes to create farmland and to reclaim (enclose) natural wetlands.

Farmers who return cultivated land within the scope of plans approved by the State Council shall be given subsidies in accordance with State provisions.

Article 74 — People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to implement in accordance with law the systems of fishing permits, fishing quotas, fishing moratoriums and fishing off-seasons, increase fishery resources, and protect the ecological environment of fishery waters.

The State shall guide and support farmers (fishermen) and agricultural (fishery) production and operation organizations engaged in the fishing industry in engaging in aquaculture or other occupations; farmers (fishermen) who shift to other occupations in accordance with the unified plans of local people’s governments shall be given subsidies or resettlement guarantees in accordance with State provisions.

Article 75 — The State shall establish a system for protecting biological species resources related to agricultural production, protect biodiversity, and implement key protection of rare, endangered and precious biological resources and their original habitats. The State shall strengthen the census, collection, protection, development and utilization of germplasm resources, and build a national germplasm resource bank.

The introduction of biological species resources from abroad shall be subject to examination and approval or registration in accordance with law, and corresponding safety control measures shall be taken.

People’s governments at or above the county level and their relevant departments shall take measures to strengthen the prevention and control of invasive alien species.

The research, testing, introduction, production, processing, operation and other applications of agricultural genetically modified organisms must strictly implement various safety control measures in accordance with State provisions.

Chapter IX — Green Agricultural Development

Article 76 — The State shall advance the comprehensive green transformation of agricultural development, encourage and support farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in adopting economical and intensive planting and breeding technologies, and strengthen the prevention and control of non-point source agricultural pollution.

The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at all levels shall guide farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in taking physical and biological measures or using high-efficiency, low-toxicity and low-residue pesticides and veterinary drugs to scientifically prevent and control animal and plant diseases, insect pests, weeds, rodent pests and other harmful organisms. Units and individuals engaged in livestock, poultry and aquaculture shall rationally feed and use feed, bait and fertilizers and correctly use drugs so as to prevent environmental pollution and ecological damage.

The State shall strengthen the research, development and application of technologies and products such as biological control of diseases and pests, microbial fertilizers and biological pesticides, and promote the production of green and high-quality agricultural products.

Article 77 — The State shall give priority to developing ecological circular agriculture, advance the recovery, harmless treatment and comprehensive utilization of agricultural waste, and encourage the development of planting-breeding circular agriculture.

Straw and other residues after the harvest of agricultural products shall be comprehensively utilized and properly handled so as to prevent environmental pollution and ecological damage. Local people’s governments at all levels shall scientifically and precisely strengthen the organization, guidance and management of straw burning.

Article 78 — People’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to urge relevant units to carry out treatment and prevent the pollution of the agricultural ecological environment by waste water, waste gas, solid waste or other toxic and hazardous substances. Where the discharge or dumping of waste water, waste gas, solid waste or other toxic and hazardous substances causes an agricultural ecological environment pollution accident, the competent department for ecological environment or the competent department for agriculture and rural affairs shall investigate and handle it in accordance with law; where losses are caused to farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, the relevant responsible persons shall compensate in accordance with law.

Article 79 — The State shall encourage and support the protection of agricultural resources and the development of ecological agriculture, implement ecological protection compensation in accordance with law, and progressively improve the mechanism for realizing the value of agricultural ecological products.

Article 80 — The State shall take measures to actively respond to the impact of climate change on agriculture.

Chapter X — Protection of Farmers’ Rights and Interests

Article 81 — Any organ or unit that collects administrative or institutional fees from farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations must do so in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations. The basis, items, scope and standards of the fees shall be published. Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall have the right to refuse fees that have no basis in laws or regulations.

Any organ or unit that imposes fines on farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations must do so in accordance with the provisions of laws, regulations and rules. Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall have the right to refuse fines that have no basis in laws, regulations or rules.

No organ or unit may impose apportioned charges on farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations in any form. Except as otherwise provided by laws or regulations, any organ or unit that, in any form, requires farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations to provide human, financial or material resources shall be deemed to impose apportioned charges. Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall have the right to refuse apportioned charges in any form.

Article 82 — Farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations shall bear tax obligations in accordance with the provisions of laws and administrative regulations, and enjoy tax reductions and exemptions provided for by laws and administrative regulations.

Article 83 — People’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments and affiliated units shall not raise funds from farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations in any form.

People’s governments at all levels shall establish and improve a long-term mechanism for rectifying formalism and reducing burdens at the grassroots level, strictly control the carrying out of supervision, inspection and assessment at the grassroots level, and streamline and optimize agriculture-related assessments. Without a basis in laws or regulations or without the approval of the State Council, no organ or unit may carry out activities of reaching standards, upgrading or acceptance inspection in rural areas in any form.

Article 84 — Except for the fees collected in accordance with State provisions, no other fees may be collected from farmers and students for rural compulsory education. It is prohibited for any organ or unit to collect fees from farmers through rural primary and secondary schools.

The State shall take measures to ensure food safety in rural primary and secondary schools and improve the nutritional and health conditions of students.

Article 85 — Where the State expropriates collectively owned land of farmers in accordance with law for public interests, it shall protect the lawful rights and interests of farmers and rural collective economic organizations, give land expropriation compensation and arrange social security funds in accordance with law, and no unit or individual may intercept or divert them. Where rural villagers’ residences are expropriated, their right to residence and lawful housing property rights and interests shall be guaranteed in accordance with law.

The State shall protect the lawful land rights and interests of farmers who have settled in cities, and safeguard in accordance with law their rights to contracted land management, homestead use rights and collective income distribution rights.

Article 86 — In the process of adjusting the agricultural and rural economic structure, industrialized agricultural operations and the circulation of land management rights, people’s governments at all levels, rural collective economic organizations and villagers’ committees shall fully respect the will of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, shall not infringe upon rights to contracted land management or land management rights, shall not interfere with production and operation projects independently arranged by farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations in accordance with law, shall not forcibly destroy crop seedlings or fruit trees in their full-bearing period, and shall not compel farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to purchase designated production materials or sell agricultural products through designated channels.

Article 87 — Where rural collective economic organizations or villagers’ committees need to raise funds and labor from their members (villagers) for developing production or running public welfare undertakings, they may do so only after the matter has been approved by the members’ (villagers’) assembly or the members’ (villagers’) representative assembly in accordance with law.

Where rural collective economic organizations or villagers’ committees raise funds and labor in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, they shall not exceed the upper-limit control standards prescribed by the State Council and the people’s governments of provinces, and it is prohibited to forcibly substitute labor with money.

Rural collective economic organizations and villagers’ committees shall disclose to their members (villagers) important matters involving the interests of members (villagers), periodically publish financial accounts, and accept the supervision of members (villagers).

Article 88 — Any unit or individual that provides paid services such as production, technical, information, cultural and insurance services to farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations must adhere to the principle of voluntariness and shall not compel farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations to accept services.

Article 89 — When purchasing agricultural products, units purchasing agricultural products shall not depress grades or prices, and shall not withhold or deduct any fees from the price paid.

Where disputes arise between agricultural product purchasing units and agricultural product sellers over the quality grade of agricultural products, the matter may be entrusted to an agricultural product quality inspection institution with statutory qualifications for inspection.

Article 90 — Where users of agricultural production materials suffer losses due to quality problems of the production materials, the operators selling such production materials shall compensate for the losses, including the purchase price, relevant expenses and loss of obtainable benefits.

Article 91 — Farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations shall have the right to report the situation to people’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments and put forward lawful demands for safeguarding their own lawful rights and interests; people’s governments and their relevant departments shall give timely replies in accordance with State provisions to the reasonable demands put forward by farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations.

Article 92 — Where farmers’ rights and interests are infringed upon in violation of the provisions of laws, farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations may apply for administrative reconsideration or bring a lawsuit in a people’s court in accordance with law, and the relevant administrative reconsideration organ or people’s court shall accept the case in accordance with law.

Where the lawful rights and interests of farmers are infringed upon and the conditions for legal aid are met, they may apply for legal aid in accordance with law.

Article 93 — The State shall strengthen rural governance, advance the building of safe and peaceful villages, build a harmonious and orderly rural society, and continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness and security of the vast number of farmers.

Chapter XI — Rural Economic Development

Article 94 — The State shall adhere to integrated urban-rural development, raise the level of integration of urban-rural planning, construction and governance, promote the equal exchange and two-way flow of urban-rural factors, advance the balanced allocation of public resources, and promote the common prosperity of urban and rural areas.

The State shall support the development of new business forms such as eco-tourism, folk culture and leisure agriculture relying on agricultural and rural characteristic resources, promote the deep integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, adjust and optimize the rural economic structure, expand county-level industries that enrich the people, increase farmers’ income, promote the comprehensive development of the rural economy, and progressively narrow the urban-rural gap.

Article 95 — Territorial spatial planning shall comprehensively consider the needs for production, living and ecological land in urban and rural areas, and rationally arrange various types of land for rural industries, residence, public services and infrastructure. Construction land indicators shall guarantee the reasonable needs of rural development.

People’s governments at or above the county level shall optimize the layout of urban-rural industrial development and coordinate the planning, construction, management and protection of urban-rural public infrastructure.

Article 96 — The State shall promote the development of the rural market economy and ensure the equal legal status and development rights of all types of business entities.

Rural economic development shall adhere to the principal position of farmers and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of farmers.

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures to develop rural enterprises, support the development of agriculture, and absorb rural labor for employment. The State shall improve support measures for the development of rural enterprises, and guide rural enterprises to optimize their structure, update their technology and improve their competitiveness.

The State shall improve the rural collective property rights system, develop the new rural collective economy, and safeguard the collective income distribution rights of members.

The State shall guide, regulate and protect social capital in lawfully participating in rural development, support farmers, college students, veterans and other people returning to or entering the countryside in starting businesses and seeking employment in the countryside, and encourage specialized farmer cooperatives, supply and marketing cooperatives and agricultural enterprises to establish close interest-connection mechanisms with farmers.

Article 97 — Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the local level of economic development, location advantages and resource conditions, and in accordance with the principles of rational layout, scientific planning and economical land use, advance the construction of small rural towns with emphasis.

Local people’s governments at all levels shall pay attention to using market mechanisms, improve relevant policies, attract farmers and social funds to invest in the development and construction of small towns, develop secondary and tertiary industries, and guide rural enterprises to develop in relative concentration.

Article 98 — The State shall coordinate the urban-rural employment policy system, take measures to promote the formation of a human resources market featuring equal competition, standardized order and urban-rural unity, improve the equal urban-rural public employment and entrepreneurship service system, and guide the rational and orderly flow of labor between urban and rural areas and between regions. Local people’s governments at all levels shall protect in accordance with law the lawful rights and interests of rural laborers entering urban areas for employment, shall not set unreasonable restrictions, and shall cancel any restrictions already set.

People’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments shall take measures to comprehensively implement equal employment and equal pay for equal work for urban and rural laborers, and safeguard in accordance with law the wages and other labor and social security rights and interests of migrant workers entering cities for work.

Article 99 — The State shall improve the social insurance system and safeguard in accordance with law the lawful rights and interests of farmers in participating in social insurance and enjoying social insurance benefits.

The State shall improve the tiered and classified social assistance system, improve the systems of minimum living security, support for extremely poor persons and temporary assistance, guarantee the basic living of assistance recipients such as persons entitled to rural minimum living security and extremely poor persons, and provide special assistance in medical care, housing, education, employment and other areas in accordance with relevant State provisions.

Article 100 — The State shall support underdeveloped areas in improving conditions for economic development, help them carry out economic development, coordinate the establishment of a normalized mechanism for preventing relapse into poverty and falling into poverty, and continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation.

People’s governments at all levels shall adhere to the policy of development-oriented assistance, enhance the endogenous development momentum of underdeveloped areas, guide and organize the rational use of assistance funds, rely on their own strength to change backward conditions, promote the development and growth of industries, raise the skills and quality of rural laborers, enhance employment capacity and mobilize the initiative to participate in development, and guide the adjustment of the economic structure and the development of local resources. The development of underdeveloped areas shall adhere to combining with resource protection and ecological development, and promote the coordinated development and comprehensive progress of the economy, society and ecology.

Article 101 — The State Council and the people’s governments of provinces shall include normalized assistance inputs in their annual fiscal budgets, increase fiscal transfer payments and construction fund inputs to underdeveloped areas, and improve the performance of fund use.

The State shall encourage and support financial institutions, other enterprises and public institutions, social organizations and individuals in investing funds to support the development and construction of underdeveloped areas.

It is prohibited for any unit or individual to intercept or divert assistance funds. Auditing organs shall strengthen auditing supervision over assistance funds.

Chapter XII — Supervision and Inspection

Article 102 — People’s governments at or above the county level shall take measures to progressively improve the agricultural and rural administrative management system that meets the requirements of developing a socialist market economy.

The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level and relevant departments shall strengthen their duties of planning, guidance, management, coordination, supervision and service, administer in accordance with law, and enforce the law impartially.

Local people’s governments at or above the county level shall strengthen comprehensive agricultural law enforcement, stabilize law enforcement teams, guarantee law enforcement conditions, improve the quality and capacity of law enforcement personnel, raise the efficiency and level of law enforcement, strengthen law enforcement supervision, and promote strict, standardized, impartial and civilized law enforcement.

Article 103 — When performing their duties of law enforcement supervision and inspection, the competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level shall have the right to take the following measures:

(1) requiring the inspected unit or individual to explain the situation and provide relevant documents and materials;

(2) entering agricultural production and operation premises to conduct on-site inspection;

(3) carrying out investigations in accordance with law into acts suspected of violating the law, and ordering the violator to stop the illegal act and perform statutory obligations; and

(4) sealing up or seizing premises, facilities or property suspected of being involved in illegal production and operation activities of agricultural inputs.

When performing their duties of supervision and inspection, agricultural administrative law enforcement personnel shall show their administrative law enforcement certificates to the inspected unit or individual and abide by law enforcement procedures. Relevant units or individuals shall cooperate with agricultural administrative law enforcement personnel in performing their duties in accordance with law and shall not refuse or obstruct them.

Article 104 — The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs and agricultural production and operation units must be completely separated in terms of institutions, personnel and finances. The competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs and their staff shall not participate in or engage in agricultural production and operation activities.

Chapter XIII — Legal Liability

Article 105 — Whoever, in violation of the provisions of this Law, infringes upon the property rights or other lawful rights and interests of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, such as rights to contracted land management and land management rights, shall stop the infringement and restore the original state; where losses or damage are caused, compensation liability shall be borne in accordance with law.

Where state functionaries infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations by taking advantage of their positions or under other names, they shall compensate for the losses and be given sanctions in accordance with law.

Article 106 — Whoever violates the relevant provisions of Articles 24, 30, 73, 75 and 85 of this Law shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations.

Article 107 — Where any of the following acts is committed, the competent organ at a higher level shall order the return of the intercepted or diverted funds within a time limit, confiscate the illegal gains, and give sanctions in accordance with law to the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly responsible persons:

(1) intercepting or diverting grain purchase funds in violation of the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 41 of this Law;

(2) intercepting or diverting fiscal funds and credit funds used for agriculture in violation of the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 47 of this Law; or

(3) intercepting or diverting assistance funds in violation of the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 101 of this Law.

Article 108 — Where fees, fines or apportioned charges are illegally collected from farmers or agricultural production and operation organizations in violation of the provisions of Article 81 of this Law, the competent organ at a higher level shall stop the act and make a public announcement; where money has already been collected or human or material resources have already been used, the competent organ at a higher level shall order the return of the collected money within a time limit or the compensation at a discount of the human or material resources already used, and give sanctions in accordance with law to the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly responsible persons.

Article 109 — Where any of the following acts is committed, the competent organ at a higher level shall order the stop of the illegal act, give sanctions in accordance with law to the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly responsible persons, and order the return of the illegally collected funds or fees:

(1) illegally carrying out activities of fund-raising, reaching standards, upgrading or acceptance inspection in rural areas in violation of the provisions of Article 83 of this Law; or

(2) collecting excessive fees or fees beyond items from farmers through rural primary and secondary schools in violation of the provisions of Article 84 of this Law.

Article 110 — Where farmers are compelled to substitute labor with money in violation of the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 87 of this Law, the township people’s government shall order correction and the return of the illegally collected funds.

Article 111 — Where farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations are compelled to accept paid services in violation of the provisions of Article 88 of this Law, the relevant people’s government shall order correction and the return of the illegally collected fees; where the circumstances are serious, sanctions shall be given in accordance with law to the directly responsible persons in charge and other directly responsible persons; where losses are caused to farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, compensation liability shall be borne in accordance with law.

Article 112 — Where staff of the competent departments for agriculture and rural affairs of people’s governments at or above the county level participate in and engage in agricultural production and operation activities in violation of the provisions of this Law, they shall be given sanctions in accordance with law.

Article 113 — Whoever, in violation of the provisions of this Law, infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of farmers and agricultural production and operation organizations, where the act constitutes a crime, shall be investigated for criminal liability in accordance with law.

Chapter XIV — Supplementary Provisions

Article 114 — Staff and workers of enterprises and public institutions such as state-owned farms, forest farms, pastures and fishing grounds who implement contract management shall apply, mutatis mutandis, the provisions of this Law concerning farmers.

Article 115 — This Law shall come into force on January 1, 2027.