Beijing launches preparations for Fourth National Ag Census

Beijing is laying the groundwork for its Fourth National Agriculture Census.

• The findings could help shape the agenda for the 21st Party Congress in autumn 2027.

The State Council kicked off the multi-year process earlier this month, with the stats bureau (NBS) providing more details at a Monday presser.

• The census will cover rural conditions in 2026 – spanning farmland use, crop and livestock production, incomes and employment, and living conditions.
• Data collection will run through May 2027, suggesting top leaders will have access to early results by June or July – months before the 21st Party Congress takes place.

This ag census is super important: Xi Jinping launched his Rural Revitalization Strategy in 2017 – this census will be the first real sense check on the effectiveness of the strategy on the ground.

• Xi has also spent years pushing to determine cadres' promotions based on rural development metrics, insisting officials at all levels – including Party bosses of provinces and municipalities – prioritize rural issues (Dangjian).

The bottom line: If the initial ag census results show certain localities have screwed up rural development, the cadres deemed responsible could miss out on the promotion of a lifetime in 2027.

• That gives local leaders a powerful incentive to go all out on rural revitalization in the next two years.