北洋政府时期的农会之兴与农业改良

The Rise of the Peasant Association and Development of Agriculture During the Reign of Beiyang Government

北洋政府时期的农会组织是在衰微的农业生产社会背景下发展起来的,在国内各界日益高涨的兴农立国呼声中,北洋政府承袭清朝末年创建农会之遗风,先后颁布了农会规程及其施行细则等励农文件,为农会之兴提供了法律制度上的保证。农会组织的发展大致经历了起步(1912年3月—1913年2月)、高涨(1913年2月—1921年7月)和消退(1921年8月—1928年12月)三个阶段。其活动内容较为广泛,主要表现为开展农情调查研究,提请农事改良议案;开办农事试验场所;推广农业科学技术以及开垦荒地、植树造林等。这些活动对于中国近代农业改良发挥了重要的推动作用:促进了农业科技知识的广泛传播;培养了一大批农业专门人才;为国家和各级政府制定农业政策提供了重要参考;促使农业种植结构发生了重大变化;加速了中国农业资本主义的发展进程。但是,北洋政府时期的农会组织由于其自治权力的局限性,故在推动近代中国农业发展方面的作用又是有限的。

The peasant associations of the Beiyang government period( 1912-1928) were developed against the background of declining agricultural society,mainly manifested as follows: agricultural production tools are simple and backward;crop varieties are invariant and single; planting management methods are following the beaten track; the production efficiency is low; the rural economy and society are broken. Amid a growing public call for establishing acgriculture as the nation’s development pillar,the Beiyang government inherited the methods of the establishment of the peasant association in the late Qing Dynasty. And the government has promulgated the peasant association regulations and implementation rules and other agricultural documents,providing a legal system for guaranteeing the development of peasant association. The development of the peasant associations has approximately gone through three stages: the beginning( March 1919-February 1913),the soaring( February1913-July 1921) and the demise( August 1921-December 1928). These activities are extensive,including conducting agricultural investigation and research,proposing agricultural improvement proposals,launching agricultural testing sites,promoting agricultural science and technology,and reclaiming wasteland and planting trees. These activities have played an important role in promoting China’s modern agricultural reform: promoting the widespread dissemination of agricultural science and technology knowledge; cultivating a large number of agricultural professionals; providing an important reference for the formulation of agricultural policies to the state and governments at all levels; promoting major changes in agricultural planting structures; accelerating the development of China’s agricultural capitalism. However,due to the limitations of the boundedness of its autonomy,the agricultural association of the Beiyang Government was caused a limited effect in promoting agricultural development in modern China.