On The Household Contract Responsibility System In China

The Household Contract Responsibility System is the basic management system in China’s rural areas and important basis for promoting sustainable development of the agriculture in China. From the point of view of the dialectical relationship between productive forces and production relations, the Household Contract Responsibility System is in line with the rural productivity development level, and has promoted the sustainable development of rural production in China. Although it has some imperfections, this does not hinder it to continue to play a role. As long as it is ceaselessly innovated and improved, it will continue to exist and play a positive role.This paper starts with research on the concept of the Household Contract Responsibility System, reviews its development and whole process in our country (introduction and formation period, basic establishment and stable development period, further deepening period, legalization-improving period, continual deepening of innovation and perfection period), and analyzes its theoretical basis and the status quo with the conclusion that in the early stage of reform and opening up it has played a great role in promoting the development of rural economy in China. Even today, it is still one of the important conditions for stable development of China’s rural areas. But with the development of economy, popularization of agricultural mechanization and modernization, many problems have emerged with the current policy, particularly land fragmentation, which seriously hampered the promotion of mechanization and is not conducive to the further development of rural economy. In addition, China has more agricultural population with less China’s arable land (only one mu per capita arable land in the eastern area), and compartmentalization is not conducive to mechanized farming; lack of investment in agriculture. The state investment in agriculture is increasing year by year, but it is still utterly inadequate, which can not solve the fundamental problem; much less local government investment has affected the promotion of agricultural science and technology, resulting in low agricultural labor productivity, not high agricultural product commodity rate, and the gap between urban and rural areas; serious waste of agricultural resources. The individual operating of agricultural production cannot form scale along with low production efficiency, increase of labor costs, and reduction of farmers’income. Thus, there are different views on the Household Contract Responsibility System. Supporters maintain that development of the rural economy for years in the country is based on the Household Contract Responsibility System, so the governments should continue to insist on the policy, and not give up; the oppositions hold that this management system was made on account of the backward rural productivity in China, however, this operating system cannot meet the requirements of the current development of the productive forces, and to a certain extent hinder the rapid development of the rural economy, so the abolition is needed.On the whole, the Household Contract Responsibility System in rural China is still consistent with the actual situation of countryside. So it should insist and keep stable, but the innovation should be improved in certain aspects. First, improve the land use right transfer system, and make the land a certain scale farming. Through various forms of circulation, put large-scale farming machinery into practice in accordance with the law and voluntary principle, which is conducive to the promotion of agricultural science and technology; on scale land, farmers can engage in a variety of forms of scale operation, make full use of the advantages of local resources, and conduct agricultural industrialization management. Second, perfect the double management system, especially strengthen the collective unification management, make full use of collective advantages to serve each stage including before, during and after production and the popularization of science and technology farmers. guide farmers to take science-and-technology farming road, and participate actively in market economy. In the Household Contract Responsibility System, collective unification management is to have a brilliant future. Third, explore new modes of scale management. Scale management is an important content of modern agriculture, and an important agricultural development trend in future China. Scale management can improve the productivity effectively, reduce production cost, and increase farmers’income. Therefore, while maintaining stability of the Household Contract Responsibility System, the government should vigorously develop the scale management, which is the urgent task currently. Finally, continue the increasing efforts of supporting rural areas. With low level of productivity and lack of financial support, agriculture is a weak industry and easy to be affected in China. Understanding its importance but rare implementation is the cause of this agricultural predicament. As a result, the development of agriculture needs practical implementation from all levels of governments. Only through this way can the country really keep the agricultural stability and development, and realize the modernization of agriculture. In short, the Household Contract Responsibility System has proved its significant role in agricultural development in China during more than thirty years’ practice, which is sure to continue. At present, on the basis of the Household Contract Responsibility System, continuous innovation and improvement is necessary to ensure the stable growth of China’s agriculture and build a new socialist countryside.