SCIO briefing on China's economic performance in May 2025

CNR:

We have noticed that the State Council recently issued a notice on conducting the fourth national agricultural census. What are the main objectives and key areas of this census? Moreover, what are the differences between this census and previous ones? Thank you.

Fu Linghui:

Thank you for your questions and interest in the agricultural census. The State Council recently announced plans to conduct the fourth national agricultural census in 2026. It will be a major survey on national conditions and strength as China forge ahead on the new journey of advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

According to the Statistics Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulation on National General Surveys of Agriculture, the agricultural census is conducted once every 10 years, with years ending in six designated as census years. China will conduct the fourth national agricultural census in 2026. The main goal is to develop a clear understanding of the state of the country's agriculture, rural areas and rural residents in the new era, and to objectively capture new developments in agricultural growth, new trends in rural construction, changes in rural life and progress in rural reform. This census is of great significance for formulating sound policies for agriculture and rural affairs, advancing all-around rural vitalization, accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, and building China into an agricultural powerhouse.

The fourth agricultural census will focus on five main areas. First, it will examine agricultural production conditions, including agricultural personnel, land use and transfers, and agricultural social services. Second, it will cover grain and food production, including grain and cash crops, livestock products such as meat, eggs and milk, as well as forestry products and aquatic products. Third, the census will assess new quality productive forces in agricultural productivity, including new types of agricultural business entities, modern protected agriculture and smart agriculture. Fourth, it will look at basic rural development, including rural industrial development, construction and governance. Fifth, it will investigate rural residents' living conditions, including household situations and quality of life.

Compared with the previous three national agricultural censuses, there are several major changes in the fourth . First, keeping up with the times. In terms of the content, this census, on the basis of understanding the conditions of agriculture, rural areas and rural residents, investigations will be made in new areas such as diversified food supply, agricultural new quality productive forces, and creating a beautiful and harmonious countryside. Second, being scientific and efficient. In terms of methodology, this census will adopt a combination of comprehensive census and sampling survey, as well as a mix of long and short forms, which will effectively improve the quality and efficiency of the census, and reduce the burden on primary-level workers. Third, being empowered by digital technologies. From the perspective of census-taking means, this census will strengthen the application of modern survey methods, and make full use of modern information technologies such as satellite remote sensing, drones and artificial intelligence to improve the level of digital and intelligent data collection. Fourth, joint governance and shared benefits. From the perspective of data utilization, this census will make extensive use of administrative records, and strengthen the development and utilization of census data, with the aim of creating a unified "map" of agricultural census data, and promote the extensive application and sharing of census results.

Currently, the fourth national agricultural census is in the preparation stage, which mainly involves the establishment of census institutions, the development of census plans, and the implementation of pilot surveys. Here, we would like to invite friends from the media to pay attention to and support the fourth national agricultural census. Your active publicity work will help mobilize social participation and ensure the census is carried out smoothly. Through our collective efforts, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of our country's agricultural foundation and better promote the construction of an agricultural powerhouse. Thank you.