Calls made for further land-use reforms

The government should give farmers perpetual rights to their land and end land re-adjustments in order to jump-start the rural economy, says an international non-profit organisation of lawyers.

A survey jointly carried out by the Rural Development Institute (RDI), Renmin University and Michigan State University has found that over 40% of rural Chinese households still lack any legal documentation of their land rights. Illegal land re-adjustments by village cadres, and government land takings for non-agricultural purposes, also remain a problem.

Ten years after the Land Management Law took effect, only 59% of rural households are in possession of contracts or certificates proving their land rights. Many do not understand the necessity of holding documents, and some do not believe the contract will make a different to their rights.