NANJING—Experts exchanged ideas on approaches to rural vitalization at a forum on April 25.

“Ensuring absolute ration safety, and the basic self-sufficiency of grains, is the bottom line for the future development of our country’s agriculture, while technological innovation is the key,” said Huang Jikun, director of the Institute for New Rural Development at Peking University. He suggested increasing land production capacity and labor productivity through the development and application of agriculture-related technologies, such as biotechnology, digital technology, and equipment technology.

Under the premise of ensuring food security, the country’s agriculture must transform to a high-efficiency, high-quality, multi-functional, high-value pattern with sustainable development, and create a sound production and market environment, Huang said.

To facilitate rural vitalization, it is necessary to promote high-quality development of agriculture and rural industries, said Jiang Changyun, a research fellow from the Institute of Industrial Economics and Technological Economics at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research. In terms of development concepts, it is necessary to go beyond the limitations of a one-sided pursuit of scale expansion and quantity growth, putting an end to extensive growth patterns. It is necessary to promote industrial development in accordance with specific conditions, and strengthen innovation-driven capabilities, along with risk prevention and control capacities.

It is important to promote the integration of the digital economy and the real economy, the integration of culture and industry, and the deep integration of the modern service industry with advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture, Jiang continued. Optimization of the business environment should be regarded as a basis for promoting high-quality industrial development and for stimulating the vitality and creativity of market players.

The most important resources for rural vitalization are people and land, said Zhong Funing, a professor from the College of Economics and Management at Nanjing Agricultural University. In the new era, it is necessary to adapt to the dynamic changes of personnel and land, and strengthen institutional construction and innovation, especially the construction and innovation of organizational systems and land systems in rural areas.

Zang Jiandong, deputy director of the Research Office at Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, discussed promoting in-depth implementation of the rural vitalization strategy through academic theoretical research.

Agricultural and rural work is part of a complex system, and experts and scholars should study issues relating to agriculture, rural areas, and rural people with innovative thinking, Zang said. It is also important to strengthen the integrated research of various disciplines.

Zang said that experts and scholars need to help with decision-making in terms of issues relating to agriculture, rural areas, and rural people. They are expected to solve major hotspot issues and difficulties in the process of rural vitalization, and provide the government with policy references.