At present, agricultural development has changed from being restricted by resource in the past to being doubly restrained by resource and market, it is almost impossible to augment income by relying on increasing "popular" agricultural products and by jacking up prices. The transfer of surplus rural labor power and the growth of farmers' income from labor service are being restrained. This being the case, it is imperative to shift the emphasis onto relying upon scientific and technological progress and improving laborers' qualities in order to increase farmers' income.

To persistently carry out the strategy of developing agriculture through science and education, it is first necessary to enhance the awareness of innovation. China has currently established a relatively comprehensive agricultural science and technology system, however, the overall level of agricultural science and technology, particularly innovative abilities, still lags behind the advanced world level, to bridge this gap, we must have new ideas and methods, and work out crucial measures to bring about major breakthroughs in agricultural science and technology, so as to boost development through innovation.

To implement the strategy for developing agriculture through science and education, it is imperative to reform the current agricultural science and technology system, gradually establish a globally advanced agricultural science and technology innovative system, an agricultural technology popularization system that can efficiently convert research results into productivity and an agricultural education and training system that can constantly improve farmers' scientific and cultural qualities. Only by so doing can we provide lasting and strong motive power for increasing farmers' income.

Deepening the reform of the agricultural science, technology and education system is one of the important tasks of this year's agricultural and rural work. Various localities should adopt measures and, on the principle of making things conducive to an effective combination of science and technology with agriculture, to scientific and technological innovation, and to the industrialization of science and technology, rationally allocate the research forces of the State's agricultural scientific research institutions and agricultural colleges and universities, make full use of the existing foundation, establish a batch of key State-level laboratories, key research centers and agricultural engineering centers and concentrate our efforts on major agricultural basic and applied researches; agricultural research institutes where conditions permit should be gradually transformed into technology development organizations of science-type enterprises or enterprise groups; some research institutions may be transformed into agricultural science and technology and information intermediary consultant organizations; reform and improve the agricultural technology popularization system, speed up the popularization and application of advanced and practical technologies, and encourage and support enterprises and civilian-run agricultural science and technology organizations to participate in agricultural science research and technology popularization.

To implement the strategy for developing agriculture through science and education, it is necessary to take constantly satisfying farmers' urgent demand for agricultural science and technology and boosting increase of income for farmers as the fundamental starting point and end-result of agricultural scientific and technological work. The various departments concerned and localities should try every possible means to increase input and establish a multi-channeled input system based mainly on government input for agricultural science and education; adjust the orientation for agricultural scientific research and development, put the emphasis on strengthening the tackling of technical problems and the popularization of research results in the fields of the selection of fine-quality new varieties, water-saving, the intensive processing and storage and transport of agricultural products, the improvement of ecological environment, and sand prevention and control; construct a policy-related environment conducive to agricultural science and technology innovation and the conversion of research results into productivity; pay attention to the construction of rural science, technology and information networks, strengthen education of farmers, technology and technique training and the popularization of and publicity on agricultural science, and do a good job of appraisal of agricultural professional technique training.

We believe that so long as we do all these items of work simultaneously and persistently implement the strategy for developing agriculture by relying on science and education, accelerate the universality of modern science and technology of agriculture, China's agricultural productive forces and economic benefits will be constantly enhanced, and increase of income for farmers will be reliably guaranteed.

(People's Daily 03/27/2001)