第四章耕地保护
CHAPTER FOUR PROTECTION OF CULTIVATED LAND

第三十一条国家保护耕地，严格控制耕地转为非耕地。
Article 31 The State protects the cultivated land and strictly controls the conversion of cultivated land into non-cultivated land.

国家实行占用耕地补偿制度。非农业建设经批准占用耕地的，按照“占多少，垦多少”的原则，由占用耕地的单位负责开垦与所占用耕地的数量和质量相当的耕地；没有条件开垦或者开垦的耕地不符合要求的，应当按照省、自治区、直辖市的规定缴纳耕地开垦费，专款用于开垦新的耕地。
The State fosters the system of compensations to cultivated land to be occupied. In the cases of occupying cultivated land for non-agricultural construction, the units occupying the cultivated land should be responsible for reclaiming the same amount of land in the same quality as that occupied according to the principle of "reclaiming the same amount of land occupied. Whereas units which occupy the cultivated land are not available with conditions of reclaimation of land or the land reclaimed is not up to requirements, the units concerned should pay land reclamation6 fees prescribed by provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities for reclaiming land for cultivation the land reclaimed.

省、自治区、直辖市人民政府应当制定开垦耕地计划，监督占用耕地的单位按照计划开垦耕地或者按照计划组织开垦耕地，并进行验收。
The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities shall formulate plans for reclamation of cultivated land, see to it that units which occupy cultivated land shall reclaim land as planned or organize the land reclamation according to plan and examine and accept the land reclaimed.

第三十二条县级以上地方人民政府可以要求占用耕地的单位将所占用耕地耕作层的土壤用于新开垦耕地、劣质地或者其他耕地的土壤改良。
Article 32 The local people's governments at and above the county level may demand units which occupy cultivated land to use the topsoil of the land occupied for use in the newly reclaimed land, poor land or other cultivated land for soil amelioration.

第三十三条省、自治区、直辖市人民政府应当严格执行土地利用总体规划和土地利用年度计划，采取措施，确保本行政区域内耕地总量不减少；耕地总量减少的，由国务院责令在规定期限内组织开垦与所减少耕地的数量与质量相当的耕地，并由国务院土地行政主管部门会同农业行政主管部门验收。
Article 33 People's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities shall strictly implement the general plans for the utilization of land and annual plan for the use of land, adopt measures to ensure not to reduce the total amount of cultivated land within their jurisdictions. Whereas reductions occur, the State Council shall order it to organize land reclamation within the prescribed time limit to make up for the reduced land in the same quantity and quality and the land administrative department of the State Council shall, together with agricultural administrative department, examine and accept it.

个别省、直辖市确因土地后备资源匮乏，新增建设用地后，新开垦耕地的数量不足以补偿所占用耕地的数量的，必须报经国务院批准减免本行政区域内开垦耕地的数量，进行易地开垦。
Whereas individual provinces and municipalities find it difficult to reclaim enough land to make up for the land occupied due to scarce reserve resources, the total amount of land due to be reclaimed in their own regions may be reduced with the approval of the State Council but the rest of land for reclamation shall be made up for elsewhere.

第三十四条国家实行基本农田保护制度。下列耕地应当根据土地利用总体规划划入基本农田保护区，严格管理：
Article 34 The State fosters the system of protecting the basic farmland. The following cultivated land shall be demarcated as basic farmland protection areas and subject to stringent14 control according to the general plans for the utilization of land:

（一）经国务院有关主管部门或者县级以上地方人民政府批准确定的粮、棉、油生产基地内的耕地；
1. Cultivated land in the grain, cotton and oil-bearing crops production bases approved by the land administrative department of the State Council or the local people's governments at and above the county level;

（二）有良好的水利与水土保持设施的耕地，正在实施改造计划以及可以改造的中、低产田；
2. Cultivated land with good water conservancy and water and soil conservation facilities and medium-and low-yielding land where the execution of amelioration plan is in progress or medium-and low-yielding land that is transformable.

（三）蔬菜生产基地；
3. Vegetable production bases;

（四）农业科研、教学试验田；
4. Experimental plots for research and teaching;

（五）国务院规定应当划入基本农田保护区的其他耕地。
5. Other cultivated land that should be designated as basic farmland protection areas as provided for by the State Council.

各省、自治区、直辖市划定的基本农田应当占本行政区域内耕地的百分之八十以上。
Areas of basic farmland demarcated by various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities should make up over 80% of the cultivated land within their administrative areas.

基本农田保护区以乡（镇）为单位进行划区定界，由县级人民政府土地行政主管部门会同同级农业行政主管部门组织实施。
Basic farmland protection areas shall be demarcated with township (town) as the unit and the protection of which shall be carried out by the land administrative departments of the county level people's governments together with agricultural administrative departments of the same level.

第三十五条各级人民政府应当采取措施，维护排灌工程设施，改良土壤，提高地力，防止土地荒漠化、盐渍化、水土流失和污染土地。
Article 35 People's governments at all levels shall adopt measures to maintain and protect irrigation and drainage facilities, ameliorate the soil to raise fertility and prevent desertification, salinization, water loss and soil erosion and pollution.

第三十六条非农业建设必须节约使用土地，可以利用荒地的，不得占用耕地；可以利用劣地的，不得占用好地。
Article 36 Land shall be used sparingly for non-agricultural construction purposes. Whereas wasteland can be used, no cultivated land should be occupied; whereas poor land can be used, no good land should be occupied.

禁止占用耕地建窑、建坟或者擅自在耕地上建房、挖砂、采石、采矿、取土等。
It is forbidden to build kilns, graves or houses on cultivated land or to dig sand, collect stones, do mining and carry soil away from cultivated land.

禁止占用基本农田发展林果业和挖塘养鱼。
It is forbidden to occupy basic farmland to develop horticulture or dig ponds to breed fish.

第三十七条禁止任何单位和个人闲置、荒芜耕地。已经办理审批手续的非农业建设占用耕地，一年内不用而又可以耕种并收获的，应当由原耕种该幅耕地的集体或者个人恢复耕种，也可以由用地单位组织耕种；一年以上未动工建设的，应当按照省、自治区、直辖市的规定缴纳闲置费；连续二年未使用的，经原批准机关批准，由县级以上人民政府无偿收回用地单位的土地使用权；该幅土地原为农民集体所有的，应当交由原农村集体经济组织恢复耕种。
Article 37 No unit or individual is allowed to let the land to lie idle or go wasted. Whereas a cultivated land which has been occupied for non- agricultural construction upon approval and can sure start construction within one year is found cultivable and yieldable, it should be cultivated by the unit or individual that originally cultivates the land or cultivated by units occupying the land. Whereas construction work fails to start for over one year, land idling fees shall be paid according to the provisions by various provinces, autonomous region and municipalities. Whereas construction work fails to start for two successive years, the people's governments at and above the county level shall revoke the use right of the land with the approval of the original organ of approval. Whereas the land used to be owned by peasant collectives, it should be turned over to original rural collective economic organizations for recultivation.

在城市规划区范围内，以出让方式取得土地使用权进行房地产开发的闲置土地，依照《中华人民共和国城市房地产管理法》的有关规定办理。
Idle land that is lying within the urban plan areas and whose use right has been leased for real estate development shall be handled according to the "Urban Property Administration Law of the People's Republic of China".

承包经营耕地的单位或者个人连续二年弃耕抛荒的，原发包单位应当终止承包合同，收回发包的耕地。
Whereas a unit or individual that has contracted for land operation has given up cultivation and allowed the land to go wasted for two successive years, the original constracting-out party shall terminate the contract and recover the land contracted out for cultivation.

第三十八条国家鼓励单位和个人按照土地利用总体规划，在保护和改善生态环境、防止水土流失和土地荒漠化的前提下，开发未利用的土地；适宜开发为农用地的，应当优先开发成农用地。
Article 38 The State encourages development of unused land by units or individuals according to the general plans for the utilization of land and under the precondition of protecting and improving the ecological environment, preventing water loss, soil erosion and desertification. Land suitable for agricultural use should have the priority of developing into land for agricultural use.

国家依法保护开发者的合法权益。
The State protects the legitimate18 rights and interests of developers.

第三十九条开垦未利用的土地，必须经过科学论证和评估，在土地利用总体规划划定的可开垦的区域内，经依法批准后进行。
Article 39 Reclaiming unused land shall go through scientific argumentation and evaluation and can proceed according to law after approval within the reclaimable areas demarcated in the general plans for the utilization of land.

禁止毁坏森林、草原开垦耕地，禁止围湖造田和侵占江河滩地。
It is forbidden to destroy forests and grassland in the process of land reclamation. It is forbidden to carry out landfill of lakes and occupy beachland of rivers.

根据土地利用总体规划，对破坏生态环境开垦、围垦的土地，有计划有步骤地退耕还林、还牧、还湖。
Whereas reclaimation of a land or rounding up of a land for reclaimation would give harm to ecological environment the land concerned should be restored as forerts, pasture fields or lakes step by step and in a planned manner according to the general plans for the utilization of land.

第四十条开发未确定使用权的国有荒山、荒地、荒滩从事种植业、林业、畜牧业、渔业生产的，经县级以上人民政府依法批准，可以确定给开发单位或者个人长期使用。
Article 40 For developing waste hills, land or beachland whose use rights have not been ascertained for crop cultivation, forestry, animal husbandry or fisheries, the use rights may be given to developers or individuals for long-term use with the approval of the people's government at and above the county level according to law.

第四十一条国家鼓励土地整理。县、乡（镇）人民政府应当组织农村集体经济组织，按照土地利用总体规划，对田、水、路、林、村综合整治，提高耕地质量，增加有效耕地面积，改善农业生产条件和生态环境。
Article 41 The State encourages land consolidation. People's governments of counties and townships (towns) shall organize rural collective economic organizations to carry out comprehensive consolidation of fields, water surface, roads, woods and villages according to the general plans for the utilization of land to raise the quality of cultivated land and increase areas for effective cultivation and improve the agricultural production conditions and ecological environment.

地方各级人民政府应当采取措施，改造中、低产田，整治闲散地和废弃地。
Local people's governments at all levels shall adopt measures to ameliorate medium-and low-yielding land and consolidate idle and scattered and abandoned land.

第四十二条因挖损、塌陷、压占等造成土地破坏，用地单位和个人应当按照国家有关规定负责复垦；没有条件复垦或者复垦不符合要求的，应当缴纳土地复垦费，专项用于土地复垦。复垦的土地应当优先用于农业。
Article 42 Whereas land is damaged due to digging, cave-in and occupation, the units or individuals occupying the land should be responsible for reclamation according to the relevant provisions of the State; for lack of ability of reclamation or for failure to meet the required reclamation, land reclamation fees shall be paid, for use in land reclamation. Land reclaimed shall be first used for agricultural purposes.