Improving the effectiveness of the protection of farmland in the new era of China

Farmland protection is the basic national policy to realize the sustainable development of society and economy in China. Improving farmland protection effectiveness has positive significances for the implementation of the basic national policy of farmland protection according to the strategy of farmland protection in the new era based on “the opinions on strengthening farmland protection and improving the balance between occupation and compensation of farmland” (Central Document No. 4 in 2017). Although a series of farmland protection policies have been formulated, the farmland protection effectiveness was not optimistic. The strategy of farmland protection in the new era is to construct the social mechanism of farmland protection and the return of the productive capacity balance of farmland requisition-compensation. By examining the main problems restricting farmland protection effects, this paper found that the social atmosphere of farmland protection has not really been formed, the extensive use of occupied farmland still exists, land reclamation has not fully played the role of land upgrading and transformation, farmers’ enthusiasm for farmland protection has not yet been fully mobilized, and soil pollution phenomenon was more prominent. To improve farmland protection effectiveness, this paper provides some countermeasures and suggestions as follows: to establish a nationwide social responsibility mechanism for farmland protection, to reform the construction land supply policy and reduce the occupied farmland construction, to implement ecological land consolidation and improve the quality of farmland, to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers to farmland protection and farmland protection behaviors, and to strengthen the construction of soil health.