On the afternoon of March 15, the Agricultural Economics Forum and the second lecture of the "New Path for Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management Disciplines" series, hosted by the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at Renmin University of China, was held in Room 931 of the Mingde Main Building. Researcher Yuan Peng from the Institute of Rural Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was invited to deliver a report titled "Reflections on Several Issues in the Modernization Transformation of Farmers." The lecture was hosted by Professor Mao Xuefeng, Vice Dean of the School, and was attended by faculty and students.

Yuan Peng began by systematically reviewing the evolution of modernization theory. The transition from traditional to modern society is primarily driven by technological innovation, which subsequently promotes economic, political, cultural, and social transformations. Since the reform and opening-up, the Communist Party of China has continuously explored a path to modernization with Chinese characteristics. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that "Chinese-style modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China." This modernization is characterized by a large population scale, common prosperity for all people, coordination between material and spiritual civilization, harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and a peaceful development path.

The hallmark of farmer modernization is the comprehensive and balanced development of economic, social, political, cultural, lifestyle, and overall quality aspects. Yuan Peng shared research findings from practical investigations into the modernization transformation of farmers, detailing the modernization process across six dimensions: economy, society, politics, institutional development, lifestyle, and spiritual life.

Finally, Yuan Peng offered insights on the paths to advancing the modernization transformation of farmers. First, he emphasized the need to remove institutional barriers, using counties as crucial entry points for urban-rural integration and promoting rural revitalization by region and category. Second, he advocated for the organic integration of smallholder farmers with modern agricultural development through an "organized market road." Third, he called for advancing the political and social modernization of farmers, emphasizing the importance of farmers' active participation and creativity in rural revitalization.