2003-2004 Yunnan Rural Development Report

Author: Compiled by the Community Development Research Center of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-04-01
Features: During the compilation process of this book, full attention was paid to systematicity, completeness, and timeliness. We did not engage in excessive theoretical discussions but focused on the overall and main aspects of rural development in Yunnan, striving to achieve something meaningful while avoiding unnecessary pursuits. In summary, the book made breakthroughs in the following aspects:
First, it re-evaluated the provincial conditions of Yunnan in the context of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Second, through statistical analysis of economic and social development achievements over the past nearly 20 years, it deeply revealed the regional characteristics of rural development in Yunnan, especially by comparing the development gaps between ethnic autonomous regions and impoverished areas with the overall rural development of the province, highlighting the profound institutional factors behind the widening disparities.
Third, it did not fully follow the conventional "eight-paragraph" structure of many past studies but emphasized in-depth analysis of the current situation and its underlying causes.
Fourth, it attempted to adopt a scholar's perspective, particularly emphasizing the voices of the rural development subjects—the vast majority of farmers, giving their voices a prominent place.
Fifth, while focusing on comprehensive analysis of the overall situation, it conducted analyses of key and challenging issues, such as income growth for farmers, agricultural industrialization, rural social security, rural basic education, rural industrialization, and village self-governance.
The primary readership of this book is rural workers, particularly policy makers, implementers, and researchers and practitioners in rural development. Its service approach includes:
First, avoiding conformity and striving to reflect the experiences and problems encountered in rural development;
Second, correcting and critiquing some traditional biases against rural areas and farmers;
Third, analyzing the deep-seated contradictions and issues in rural development from multiple perspectives.
Therefore, this book does not provide ready-made solutions to the problems in rural development in our province but offers a new analytical perspective—viewing rural development issues from the perspective of farmers and their real needs.
This book is part of the "Yunnan Blue Book" series. It closely revolves around the theme of "Yunnan's moderately prosperous society, with a focus on rural areas," conducting a realistic and beneficial exploration of the current situation and development of rural areas in Yunnan. It provides analyses of key and challenging issues, including achievements in rural economic construction, industrial structure, farmers' income and expenditure, poverty alleviation and rural ecological environment construction, economic and social development in ethnic areas, rural education and comprehensive human development, rural social security, medical and health services and people's quality of life, rural spiritual civilization construction, and the implementation of rural policies. This book not only broadens readers' horizons but also provides references for policy making.