China has passed a new law aimed at better protecting farmers’ land rights and supporting the development of rural village collectives. The law, known as the Rural Collective Economic Organisations Law, will take effect on May 1, 2025.
While all farmland in China is state-owned, farmers have decades-long land lease rights that are exercised on their behalf by collectives. However, these collectives have been criticized for not giving farmers a sufficient voice in decision-making.
The new law defines the role of rural collectives and will give farmers oversight over the management of these organizations. It also encourages fiscal and taxation measures to strengthen the development of the rural collective economy, according to state media reports.
Currently, villagers can, in theory, decide to apply to sell off or develop land. In practice, however, state officials usually make these decisions, often overriding the wishes of farmers in the hopes of attracting investment or other economic gains.
Farmers have argued that the current system gives state officials too much power to take land for little or no compensation. Land grabs have been a cause of social unrest in the past.
The new law aims to safeguard the rights of the collective and its members, potentially addressing these long-standing concerns. The move is seen as an effort to bolster China’s ailing rural economy and achieve food security.