Full coverage: 2016 Central Economic Work Conference

We begin in Beijing where China's Central Conference on Rural Work has commenced.The annual gathering sets the tone for next year's agricultural and rural development.

Following years of reform in rural development, farmers are now officially allowed to transfer their land rights to individuals or conglomerates.

Guidelines issued by the central government have also called for the separation of farmland ownership rights, contract rights, and operating rights.

This would allow farmers to retain the rights to their allotted land even if they choose to lease the land to others.

The separation of the three rights means that the operating rights will now hold equal importance in relation to the other two, indicating a big step forward in protecting the interests of farmland operators.