Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the PRC
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council responsible for agriculture and rural affairs nationwide. Formed on March 19, 2018, superseding the former Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry gained additional responsibilities from agricultural investment projects previously managed by other government departments. In 2023, it absorbed the National Rural Revitalization Administration and gained rural science and technology functions from the Ministry of Science and Technology as part of broader government restructuring. The ministry handles China’s “three rural issues” (三农问题) — agriculture, rural areas, and farmers — managing fisheries, animal husbandry, farmland resources, irrigation, agricultural mechanization, and food safety. It houses the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group and oversees China’s rural vitalization strategy, reflecting the government’s prioritization of agricultural modernization and rural development. The ministry can play a role, as most offices, in conducting external propaganda and public diplomacy around key areas within its remit — including advertising China’s claimed achievements in rural development and poverty alleviation for developing nations in the Global South.
