China No.1 central document's "three rural issues" lacks clear definition

As a policy, public, and particularly academic discourse, the concept appears to require clarification.

China released its "No. 1 central document" for 2025 on Sunday, and as expected, it addresses the "Three Rural Issues," or "San Nong (三农)" — agriculture农业, rural areas农村 and rural residents农民. However, one key aspect that has been overlooked for years is that the trichotomy concept itself lacks a clear, fundamental definition.

Let's start with the English translation of "农民". In China's official documents, you'll generally find two translations: "farmer" and "rural resident." The problem is, these terms carry different meanings.

According to Merriam Webster, a "farmer" is someone who cultivates land or crops or raises animals (such as livestock or fish). On the other hand, "rural resident" is a broader term, referring to anyone living in rural areas—farmers included, but not limited to them.

Which translation is correct? In other words, who exactly do the "Three Rural Issues" target?

China itself may even not have a clear understanding of this, judging by the confusing translations.

Personally, I believe "rural residents" is more fitting for today's context, especially given the evolving meaning of "农民." Simply put, "农民" in China today no longer refers exclusively to those who cultivate land, grow crops, or raise animals.

A clue can be found in an official document jointly issued by Communist Party of China Central Committee and State Council (typically the most authoritative doc in China), titled "Several Opinions on Adhering to the Priority Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas and Effectively Addressing the 'Three Rural Issues' 中共中央国务院关于坚持农业农村优先发展做好“三农”工作的若干意见".

The Opinions said:

（三）发展乡村新型服务业。支持供销、邮政、农业服务公司、农民合作社等开展农技推广、土地托管、代耕代种、统防统治、烘干收储等农业生产性服务。充分发挥乡村资源、生态和文化优势，发展适应城乡居民需要的休闲旅游、餐饮民宿、文化体验、健康养生、养老服务等产业。加强乡村旅游基础设施建设，改善卫生、交通、信息、邮政等公共服务设施。

(3) Developing new rural service models. Efforts will be made to support supply and marketing cooperatives, postal services, agricultural service companies, farmers' cooperatives, and other entities in providing agricultural production services such as technology promotion, land trusteeship, production service outsourcing, unified pest control, drying, and storage. Moreover, it is necessary to fully leverage the resource, ecological, and cultural advantages of rural areas to develop industries that meet the needs of urban and rural residents, including leisure tourism, catering and homestays, cultural experiences, health and wellness, and elderly care services. Efforts will also be made to strengthen the construction of rural tourism infrastructure and improve public service facilities such as sanitation, transportation, information, and postal services.

Apparently, official support has been extended to "农民" to develop new services industry, including tourism and homestays. In this context, calling a homestay owner in rural areas a "farmer" seems inappropriate, doesn't it? It is about the difference between the primary industry and tertiary industry. Therefore, a broader term like "rural residents" might be more suitable to encompass the evolving concept of "农民" in China.

And remember, we've only discussed the translation of this broad term so far—the essence of it hasn't even been addressed yet.

For a deeper understanding of its essence, I would point you to an article by Prof. Jingzhong Ye (叶敬忠), former dean of the College of Humanities and Development Studies at China Agricultural University.

Prof. Ye has long focused on issues related to national development, agricultural policy changes, development interventions, social transformation, labor mobility, left-behind populations, small-scale agriculture, and land systems. He earned his master’s degree from Technische Universität Dortmund and his PhD in development sociology from Wageningen University & Research. Since 1996, he has been teaching at China Agricultural University and since 2015 served as the dean of the College of Humanities and Development Studies until 2023.

His article, titled "The Concept of 'The Three Rural Issues' Lacks a Clear Definition," was written in 2018 and published in Beijing Daily. From an academic perspective, he argues that while the trichotomy is catchy and easy to disseminate, its meaning remains unclear. Each scholar interprets the concept based on their own understanding, which hinders deeper academic research and, consequently, the refinement of policy.

Below is my translation of the article.

“三农问题”的概念界定并不明确

The concept of "The Three Rural Issues" lacks clear definition

"三农The Three Rurals" refers to agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents, while "三农问题The Three Rural Issues" refers to the issues related to these areas. These two concepts have become well-known and established terms in China. As a policy, social, and academic discourse, "The Three Rural Issues" has dominated and influenced China's policy design, public discussions, and social research on agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents for over 20 years, drawing significant attention from society. However, while these terms are commonly used in public discussions and policy frameworks, their academic definition remains ambiguous. The widespread dissemination and reinforcement of this concept, largely driven by media articles and policy documents, do not necessarily meet the conceptual requirements of academic research.

Strictly speaking, the concept of "The Three Rural Issues" itself fails to provide any specific or definitive content. For instance, "agriculture issues" merely refers to the challenges faced by agriculture as a sector, yet the exact nature of these challenges remains vague. Does it refer to challenges in production or circulation, output or quality, operation or technology, land systems or social service? Similarly, does "rural area issues" refers to development concerns or stability challenges, governance issues or cultural matters, infrastructure or environmental conditions in villages, basic education or talent development? As for "rural residents issues," does it relate to income disparity or organizational challenges, migration concerns or the struggles of left-behind populations, social security issues or exclusion, material wealth concerns or matters of emotional well-being? The range of possible interpretations is broad and unclear.

Some scholars define "The Three Rural Issues" as "increased agricultural production, rural development, and rural residents' income growth." Others summarize it as "rural residents are truly suffering, rural areas are truly impoverished, and agriculture is truly at risk." Some scholars categorize the issues into three main concerns: the quantity and quality of agricultural product supply, rural public services and ecological protection, and the income and social-political rights of rural residents. Additionally, some scholars argue that the "Three Rural Issues" in the process of urbanization refers to: the supply and demand of food and other major agricultural products (grain), rural land issues (land), and the issue of citizenization (people).

Other definitions of "The Three Rural Issues" include: "the shrinking agriculture, decaying rural areas, and impoverished rural residents," agricultural economic issues, rural political and social problems, and the rights of rural residents. It also encompasses the continuous improvement of agricultural supply capacity, the sustained increase in rural residents' income, and the ongoing advancement of rural social development. Further aspects include the industrialization and modernization of agriculture, the reform of the household registration system, efforts to enhance rural residents' skills and reduce their burdens, the slow growth of rural residents' income, the widening gap between urban and rural development, and the mass migration of rural residents to cities where they are unable to settle with dignity. The list goes on.

In addition to these varying conceptual definitions, scholars also offer different interpretations of the essence of "The Three Rural Issues." For example, "The Three Rural Issues" is seen as the problem of the relationship between rural residents and other social entities during the transition from traditional to modern society. It is also regarded as an issue related to the disproportionately large share of rural residents in China's total population during the industrialization, making it essentially a "rural-to-non-rural" issue. Furthermore, it is viewed as a problem of the increasing poverty and marginalization of agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents. Other interpretations focus on the protection of rural residents' rights, their development, and the enhancement of their agency and modernity. The list of perspectives continues.

Following the introduction of "The Three Rural Issues," many scholars have proposed the concept of the "New Three Rural Issues." For example, the "New Three Rural Issues" includes the protection of rural residents' rights, rural sustainable stability, and agricultural ecological security. Other interpretations identify "migrant workers, land-lost farmers, and the end of agricultural villages" as components of the "New Three Rural Issues." Additionally, "land, governance, and public sentiment" are seen as the core, essence, and foundation of the "New Three Rural Issues." Furthermore, the "New Three Rural Issues" has also been defined to include problems such as migrant workers, elderly farmers, and the hollowing-out of villages, the degradation of agriculture, rural depopulation, and the multi-dimensional impoverishment or affluence-based poverty of rural residents. The most pressing issue is the question of "who will become farmers, who will work the land, and who will build the new countryside." The list of concerns continues.

It is evident that, whether referring to the "Three Rural Issues" or the "New Three Rural Issues," there has never been a unified understanding in the academic community regarding their definition and scope. As a result, each scholar tends to define the specific "Three Rural Issues" they are studying based on their own perspective. Consequently, different scholars' analyses of the causes and proposed solutions for the "Three Rural Issues" often lead to disparate conclusions, as the subjects being referred to by "The Three Rural Issues" vary.

In fact, "The Three Rural Issues," as a short term for agricultural, rural, and rural residents' issues, is similar to the current shorthand "one understanding, two lovings" (understanding agriculture懂农业、loving rural areas爱农村、loving rural residents爱农民), which is a commonly used expression in Chinese public discourse for ease of memory and understanding. While this phrase is very practical for social and policy discussions, it lacks substantive meaning as an academic concept. As such, this form of discourse does little to advance or deepen academic research.