In 2026, the state focused on rural renewal and the protection of the rights and interests of farmers, and a series of land landing policies were implemented in the areas of rural land contracting, non-agricultural subsidies, idle asset mobilization and urban-rural security. For those groups whose families are in rural areas and who hold legal land rights and interests, this year a number of clear rules have gradually landed and a tangible policy dividend has been released。
This document provides an overview of the public policy and implementation standards of the ministry of agriculture and rural affairs, the ministry of finance and the network of local government officials, and a comprehensive reading of the 2026 rural people's core policy in plain and understandable language, clears the boundaries of rights and interests, explains the main points of action and points out regional differences, helps rural people to grasp the content of the policy and legally enforce their rights and interests。
I. A 30-year extension of land contracts and long-term consolidation of land rights
In 2026, a further 30 years of work after the expiration of the second round of land contracting entered a full-scale pilot phase, which is a core policy for securing the rights and interests of farmers in land contracting, as well as a priority in the area of rural land for the current year. In accordance with the recommendations of the pilot project issued by the national office and the implementing regulations issued by the ministry of agriculture and rural development, most of the country's provinces have launched pilot extension projects in the provinces, municipalities and counties, which are based on the basic principle of “great stability, small adjustments” to ensure that farmers' land rights and interests are not affected。
This extension is based on the results achieved in the registration of rural land titles throughout the country, starting directly with the expiry date of the second round of land contracts, and is based on a uniform extension of the 30-year contract term, which will not be reversed or duplicated. In other words, the land, size and boundaries of land which the farmers have contracted have remained in place, the contractual relationship has been extended directly, the term of the contract has been extended to around 2057 to 2058, and there is no need to worry for the next three decades about land being taken and redistributed at will。
The policy continues to strictly apply the “no-gain, no-land reduction” rule, whereby the village group does not allocate additional land for contract in the new family members; the family is in the event of the death of the person, the marriage, the division of the household, etc. As long as the family is not completely destroyed, the original right to contract for the operation of the land is still protected by law, and no organization or individual can use this as a basis for forcibly reclaiming the land。
In response to the general concern about linking access to urban settlements to land rights, the policy again made it clear that entry of farmers into urban areas was not subject to withdrawal from contractual land. Even if the whole family lives in urban housing and some members move into urban households, as long as there are members of the rural household or if the household is not fully relocated out of the country, the right to contract land and the right to operate may be preserved in accordance with the law, and grass-roots organizations may not compel farmers to renounce their land rights on the grounds that they are settled in the city or work。
In terms of land adjustment, it is not entirely prohibited, but rather a strict restriction and approval process. Only special village groups, which have been the result of severe damage to land as a result of natural disasters and where most villagers have come together to provide a reasonable balance of needs, can fine-tune between small and individual farming households. It is also subject to the approval of more than two thirds of the members of the collective economic organization or the representatives of the villagers, and is then submitted to the people's governments of the townships for approval and approval by the rural and agricultural departments at the county level, for a full period of not less than 15 days, under the supervision of the villagers, in order to put an end to irregularities and to covert cases。
The real case: wang, a village village in shandong, where the second three-acre contract period will expire in 2028, was first completed as a local extension pilot village in april 2026. According to wang, the extension was carried out without a change in the plot and with no change in the area, but with a uniform renewal of the duration of the contract, the original certificate of title to the land did not need to be renewed and only information on the extension was provided. He had been concerned about the redistribution of land after the expiration of the contract, the fact that he had been operating his own land for many years, and that his policies were now firmly rooted in a long-term plan, with no concern, whether he cultivated it or transferred it to others. The entire extension process, the entire village publicity, the collective vote of the villagers, without any charge, was successfully completed by all farmers。
Ii. Multi-farm subsidies are paid directly to households and land is more secure
In 2026, the ministry of agriculture and rural affairs and the ministry of finance jointly issued a list of policies for the promotion of agriculture by the central public sector, and 16 subsidies for rural residents were fully implemented. All subsidies were distributed directly to farmers through the one-cartoon and the social security card financial accounts, reducing the middle-flow chain and effectively eliminating the problems of retention and loss of ownership, and eligible farmers could benefit from the subsidy dividend without cumbersome applications。
The first is the subsidy for the protection of the land of arable land, which is intended mainly for farmers who have the right to contract arable land, who have regular farming land, who have not lost arable land and who have not changed the agricultural use of the land. There are no uniform and fixed criteria for this subsidy throughout the country, ranging from $100 to $150 per acre for the entire area of implementation, and for the main food-producing areas of henan, heilong river and shandong, which are relatively higher, at between $120 and $150 per acre. The distribution of subsidies is concentrated from may to june of each year, and after verification by the village council of the area under cultivation, the public announcement is issued for seven days, without objection, and is paid directly to the farm account, which is granted on an ex gratia basis。
This is followed by a one-time subsidy for actual farmers, mainly for the cost pressure on the rise in the price of agricultural production materials such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, etc., with subsidies ranging from $30 to $80 per acre for food farmers, and a synchronized rise in the standards for the main food-producing areas. The subsidies are distributed in one to two instalments per year, calculated on the basis of the actual area of food cultivation, and effectively guarantee the basic income of food farmers。
Special subsidies are provided for farmers in the main food-producing areas, including maize, soybeans, rice and wheat producers. In 2026, the soybeans producer subsidy rate was 10 per cent higher than in 2025, amounting to approximately $200 per acre; the maize and wheat main area subsidy rate was between $120 and $150 per acre; and the rice main area subsidy, which was established and implemented by the provinces in conjunction with local practice, focused on encouraging food cultivation and ensuring national food security。
In addition, policies such as subsidies for the acquisition of agricultural machinery, subsidies for the rotation of cropland, subsidies for agricultural insurance premiums, and “three-stop” subsidies for wheat have been synchronized. Among them, subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machines cover tractors, plugs, harvesters and various types of smart farm machines. Farmers buy catalogued farm machines and receive a quota of 30 to 50 per cent. In hilly mountains, subsidies for agricultural machines and high-end smart farm machines have increased proportionately. Farmers can obtain credit within one to two months on the basis of machine invoices, identification certificates, and at rural farm stations. Agricultural insurance premiums cover more than 70 per cent of major crops, such as wheat, rice, maize and soybean, and farmers can claim compensation on a standard basis to reduce the risk of agricultural production。
It is important to note that there are significant regional differences in the criteria for subsidies, which are based on the principle of “centralised framework, local by-laws”. The main food-producing regions and the major food-producing counties have invested more in subsidies, which are generally higher than the non-principal regions; the central and western regions share most of the subsidies with provincial budgets, and the economically developed regions in the east are dominated by local financial inputs. The amount of the allowance, the procedure for obtaining it, must be based on the content of the local agricultural, rural and financial sectors。
Iii. Optimization of residential bases and collective land management and flexibility in the operation of idle assets
In 2026, the policy of management of rural residences, collective construction of land for urban use continued to be optimized, with the further development of idle asset mobilization channels, based on the preservation of the land floor and the protection of the rights and interests of farmers, and the transformation of rural vacant housing bases, farm houses and collective land from “sleeping assets” to revenue-generating channels。
In the area of home base management, the policy makes clear three main prohibitions: the prohibition against the illegal recovery of legally acquired residences of farmers, the prohibition against forcing farmers to move to their homes, and the prohibition of the condition of entry into the city for farmers to leave their homes. The first is the strict enforcement of the “one house” policy, the construction of new houses by farmers, which must be submitted to the village collectives and approved by the public and the commune governments before construction can be carried out, the construction of which is carried out strictly in accordance with local standards (generally 120 m2 to 180 m2) and the occupation of the permanent basic agricultural land, the ecological protection of the red line area is strictly prohibited; the second is that the children of urban households may legally inherit the ownership of the homes of rural parents, in accordance with the principle of “one house”, during which the home can be legally occupied, the building may be repaired, but the building may not be demolished or extended without the permission of the village collective, after the natural collapse of the house, the building of a home may be taken back by the village collective in accordance with the law; and the third is that vacant housing bases may be legally occupied and rented by farmers (for a period not exceeding 20 years), and that access to collective economic cooperatives in the village to develop rural residential houses, rural tourism and rural areas may also be transferred within the collective economic organization, subject to the conditions of the application for construction of a home base, and the policy of。
In the area of collective construction land, it was further expanded in 2026, and the process was more regular, in line with the territorial spatial planning, use control requirements, and the completion of the registration of collective construction land, with the same value as state land, directly into the city for industrial, commercial, tourism and other business projects, and is strictly prohibited for the development of commercial housing。
Collectively operated construction land enters the city with the consent of more than two thirds of the members of the village group or representatives of the village, through the rural property exchange market, by means of public tenders, auctions and the registration of cards. The years of concession are divided by use, 50 years for industrial or mineral storage, 40 years for commercial use, and 5 to 20 years for rental. The proceeds from the entry of land into the city are fully owned by the village collective economic organizations, mainly for rural infrastructure development, the upgrading of rural public services and the distribution of collective economic members. The rules governing the distribution of proceeds vary from 30 to 50 per cent for communal goods in general, with the remainder allocated according to collective economic membership, allowing farmers to share directly in the value-added benefits of land。
In february 2026, 20 acres of unoccupied collective-business land were added to the city for construction of agro-processing estates in an administrative village in zhejiang lake county, with a 40-year concession period and a total gain of $8 million. By a collective vote of the villagers ' congress, it was determined that 40 per cent of the proceeds would be retained for the repair of roads in the village and the upgrading of the centres for elderly activities. The remaining 60 per cent of the proceeds would be distributed equally among the members of the registered collective economy and each village would be divided to nearly $12,000. According to the villagers of the village, the land had been vacant for a long time and had to grow only crops, and not only did it receive a one-time bonus, but the industrial estate was built to provide the villagers with close employment and, in the future, a collective share of the revenue, which would be realized in real terms. The entire process of entering the city, the revenue programme, the distribution criteria, the involvement of villagers and the supervision of the whole process are well recognized。
Iv. Linking rural household registration and security policies and facilitating rural-urban integration
In 2026, the development of urban-rural integration continued, and the land rights attached to rural household registration, the right to collective income distribution and the right to livelihood security were further clarified. Rural residents were able to secure their land, assets, and access to public services on an equal footing between urban and rural areas。
In rural areas, the core rights and interests of rural households are firmly established, and the inhabitants of rural areas who are eligible for membership in the collective economy enjoy, in accordance with the law, the right to contract ownership of land, the right to use housing premises, the right to distribute collective income and the right to compensation for expropriation of land. When land is collected by law, members of the rural household may receive compensation for land, settlement grants, land attachments and seedlings, which is based on the local collectivities ' consolidated land prices, and no unit or individual may be detained or withheld。
In terms of livelihood security, rural residents may voluntarily participate in basic health insurance for urban and rural residents, basic old-age insurance for urban and rural residents, with low contribution rates, high financial subsidies and an increase in the level of security over the years; rural residents who work in urban areas may join the social security scheme for urban workers with their employers, and the two systems of social security are subject to the required transfer and connection procedures to ensure that their treatment is not interrupted。
In the context of the housing policy, different urban sizes apply differentiated criteria: cities with a resident population of less than 3 million are completely eliminated, rural residents are able to settle on the basis of legal and stable employment and legally stable rental housing; large cities with a resident population of between 3 and 5 million live in urban areas have low-threshold housing policies, with a residence permit and a six-month social security allowance; mega- and mega-cities are able to optimize their segregation systems, increase the length of their residence and the weight of their social security contributions, and reduce the threshold for admission to households。
In the day-to-day processing of land extension, subsidisation, home base approval, collective distribution of income, farmers are required only to carry valid documents such as identity cards, household register, land contracting rights, home base rights, etc., to go to village councils, rural village service windows, all compliance services are free of charge, and in case of irregular charges, impeccability, etc., they can provide feedback to the county agricultural and rural departments, and to the disciplinary and inspection departments。
V. Policy attention and compliance line
From the standpoint of the rural livelihood policies of 2026, the central direction is to secure land rights, increase the income of farmers, spare assets and raise the level of security. Each policy is designed to safeguard the vital interests of the rural population and is based on land-defeating, enforceable rules, with no non-implemented or non-existent content。
In order to enjoy the benefits of policies, rural residents must bear in mind three points: first, proper custody of important documents, such as land-contracting rights of ownership, home-site access cards and household registration books, detection of errors in information and loss of documents, timely submission of corrections and follow-up procedures to the relevant authorities, in order to avoid compromising the enjoyment of rights and interests; second, adherence to the compliance line, non-discretion of agricultural land, non-inhabitation of land, non-trade of residential premises, non-change of agricultural use, penalties for the cancellation of subsidies, restitution of land, etc., in the event of irregularities; third, recognition of official information, minor differences in policy rules, procedures, and in the absence of an informal channel of trust in the network, and all business processes and policy advice, based on the official guidelines of the local government, rural and financial sectors。
Rural land and housing are the most basic and core assets of the rural population, and the 2026 new deals have landed essentially to make farmers ' assets more secure, their earnings more stable and their livelihoods more secure. Residents living in rural areas and with land in their possession are given timely attention to village announcements, town and town announcements, and are required to cooperate in the completion of the relevant procedures so as to enjoy the dividends of the policy。
This is a public policy information and personal interpretation and does not constitute any operational recommendation, which is based on official guidelines and is based on operational risk. It's a public good. It's hard to create. It's rational
