For a country in which nearly half the population lives in rural areas, agriculture is indeed seen as a priority in China. The number one Central Document every year is about agriculture. That document is drawn up at the Central Rural Work Conference in the capital Beijing. The conference maps out the nation's rural work plans annually for the upcoming year. For 2018, continuing supply-side reform and rural land ownership reform tops the agenda. Our reporter Li Jianhua has more.

XI JINPING CHINESE PRESIDENT "Issues relating to agriculture, rural areas, and rural people are fundamental to China as they directly concern our country's stability and our people's wellbeing."

Rural issues are always on top of the agenda at the National Congress of the Communist Party of China as nearly eight hundred million people in China live in rural areas.

And this year, at the Central Rural Work Conference, land ownership reform - among others - remains a priority.

The government aims to clarify land rights in three aspects -- the rights to ownership, contract and management. For rural lands that are collectively owned, farmers have the rights to contract and management -- rights that couldn't be separated before the reform. Under the new rules, the rights to land contract and management are divided, which allows farmers to transfer the management rights to others, creating new ways to raise their income. It's estimated that over 80 percent of collectively-owned rural lands had been certificated and registered as of last month.

LI YONG CURRENT AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR "Economic development has attracted many farmers to go to the cities. The transfer of the land right will allow the land to be efficiently used. The operater of the farms will be able to get more income. The farmers who own the land will get the lease income, so you know all those policies will help."

It's estimated that the average income of each farmer this year surpassed two thousand US dollars, a record high. The figure represents a 50-percent increase from five years ago.

LI JIANHUA BEIJING "Chinese authorities promised to continue reforming the rural collective property rights system, and safeguarding the interests of farmers, in the hope of encouraging more of them to invest in the land to increase production and income. The hope is to offer the country's farmers a chance for a better life. LJH, CGTN, BJ."