Three Rural Issues

The Three Rural Issues, or San Nong (simplified Chinese: 三农; traditional Chinese: 三農; pinyin: sān nóng), are three issues relating to rural development in mainland China: agriculture, rural areas and farmers. The name "Three Rural Issues" were highlighted by CCP general secretary Hu Jintao and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao as areas of rural development in China that need work. At the 2006 National People's Congress, the Three Rural Issues were especially emphasized throughout Wen Jiabao's speech on the workings of the government in 2005 and the direction of the government for the year 2006. In the rural areas, agricultural reforms had made the peasants better-off until the 1990s when land supply became insufficient and the cost of the means of production was soaring. As a result, the income of the peasants was greatly reduced. Today, the "three problem of peasantry, rural areas and agriculture" are still a major concern of the government.