Chinas farm reforms open fresh hopes, pitfalls

China’s plan to ignite growth in the countryside could also fuel contention, with expanded land transfers offering farmers more freedom yet more risks in a nation where farmland is a battleground over money and power.

The Communist Party’s decision on rural development released on Sunday envisions modern farms replacing many of the millions of patchwork plots tilled by the country’s 750-million-strong farming population, doubling average disposable income to more than $1,200 per person a year by 2020.

But getting there means loosening controls on village land, legally under "collective" ownership -- effectively state control -- and leased to farmers, who cannot sell it. It will also mean channeling much more financial support to agriculture.