A key meeting focusing on China's rural work is expected to be held before the new year. The Central Rural Work Conference, held in late December annually, will lay out priorities for the country's rural work in the year ahead. Huang Yue reports.

HUANG YUE Beijing "China has long prioritized rural-related work as the country has to feed 20 percent of the world's population while utilizing only eight percent of the world's total arable land. As 2025 marks the conclusion of China's 14th Five-Year Plan, the country faces a deadline to achieve key rural modernization goals. What areas demand the most attention, and what challenges remain?"

China has announced that its grain output this year hit a record high of over 700 million tonnes, consolidating the foundation of the country's food security and rural revitalization.

As 2025 approaches, one expert believes the focus will be on securing stable grain and key agricultural product supplies, improving county-level economies, and promoting urban-rural integration. Modernizing agriculture through technological innovation and enhancing rural governance also remain top priorities.

ZHONG YU Researcher Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences "It's important to strengthen the pricing mechanism for essential agricultural products, maintain reasonable prices for these essential goods, and promote cooperation between production and consumption regions."

Zhong also emphasizes the need to foster new industries and business models in rural areas, making every effort to raise farmers' incomes.

Facing challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather, the expert says advanced technologies, such as precision irrigation and crop variety improvements, are helping farmers manage risks more effectively.

He calls for continued investment in agricultural infrastructure, particularly high-standard farmland construction.

ZHONG YU Researcher Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences "It's been proved that high-standard farmland can improve disaster resilience significantly. When I went to do field research, farmers told me that areas that could only handle once-in-a-decade droughts can now withstand once-in-30-year events."

The expert says although agricultural mechanization in China is generally advanced, especially for grains like wheat and rice, in some regions with challenging terrain, it still needs to be enhanced. He says mechanization can not only boost productivity, but also improve harvest efficiency, allowing farmers to finish harvest before extreme weather arrives. Huang Yue, CGTN, Beijing.