Abstract: In the process of Chinas agricultural modernization, what path shall smallholder farmers and familybased agricultural operations take? One perspective posits that only agricultural corporations can serve as the microlevel entities driving agricultural modernization, asserting that corporatization is the inevitable route to modernization. Another view argues that smallholders will inevitably be phased out by market forces, with newtype agricultural entities becoming the sole microlevel entities of modernization. This paper contends that, first, smallholder farming, familybased operations, and agricultural modernization are not mutually exclusive. The microlevel entities driving agricultural modernization should be diversified and coexistent. Familybased operations will not disappear, and hasty attempts to eliminate or “transform” smallholders are not in line with the inherent laws of agricultural development. Second, the enduring presence of smallholders and familybased operations can be attributed to the fact that familybased operations remain better adapted to the characteristics of agricultural production, demonstrate adaptability to evolving agricultural technological systems, and can be dynamically adjusted over time. Third, while the prediction of smallholders demise has not become a reality, this does not mean that the theory that largescale production holds advantages over than smallscale production is not applicable to agriculture. The continuous advancement of agricultural technologies and the gradual expansion of operational scales among agricultural entities exemplify the superiority of largescale production in modern agriculture.

Key words: smallholder farmers, familybased farming, agricultural modernization, agricultural management system

摘要： 在我国农业现代化进程中，小农户将何去何从？农业家庭经营将何去何从？一种观点认为只有农业公司是实现农业现代化的微观主体，公司化是农业现代化的必由之路；另一种观点认为小农户必然会被市场淘汰，只有各类新型经营主体，才是实现农业现代化的微观主体。本文认为：第一，小农户、家庭经营与农业现代化并不对立，农业现代化的微观经营主体是多元并存的，农户家庭经营不会消亡，急于消灭小农户，改造小农户，并不符合农业发展规律。第二，小农没有消亡，家庭经营长期存在的原因，一是农户家庭经营更适应农业生产的特点；二是农户家庭经营可适应农业技术体系的变化；三是农户家庭经营的规模是动态变化的。第三，虽然经典作家小农会消亡的论断没有成为现实，但并不意味着大生产优于小生产的学说不适用于农业，农业技术的不断进步和农业经营主体经营规模的逐渐扩大，是农业中大生产优于小生产的体现。

关键词: 小农, 家庭经营, 农业现代化, 农业经营体系