Courtyard economy is an important part of agricultural and rural economic development at home and abroad. In China, courtyard economy has a long history, various forms and wide adaptability, which has played an important role in the economic development of traditional farming society. In some developing countries and developed countries, in order to increase income and respond to market demand, farmers or family farms have achieved remarkable economic results through rational development and utilization of courtyard resources, and courtyard economy has developed into a very influential and characteristic economic field in market economic activities. With the industrialization, modernization and economic globalization in rural areas, courtyard economy, an ancient and brand-new way of rural economic development, has not declined or disappeared, but has shown a multi-type, high-dynamic and self-circulating development trend. What are the types and characteristics of courtyard economy development in the new period? What is the theoretical basis for the development of courtyard economy? How to play the role of courtyard economy in building a well-off society in rural areas? These are all important issues that need to be explored in modern agricultural construction and rural economic development.
First, the development of foreign courtyard economy
As the name implies, courtyard economy is an economic activity that people rely on the courtyard where they live. It is juxtaposed with the rural economy and constitutes the peasant economy together. Historically, after a long period of collecting, fishing and hunting, human beings have gradually transformed into primitive agriculture centered on agriculture and animal husbandry and a family-centered farming society. Through labor, people gradually increased the material products produced by primitive agriculture, and labor products began to appear surplus, which not only improved the living conditions of human beings, but also made product exchange happen constantly and led to the emergence of private ownership, and the primitive courtyard economy appeared and developed forward. With the accumulation of breeding experience and the improvement of labor tools, courtyard economic activities are gradually adjusted and expanded, and agricultural production is gradually developing into the deep field of natural resources development. Traces of primitive courtyard economy can be found in ancient China culture, ancient Egyptian Nile culture, ancient West Asian Babylonian culture, ancient Indian two rivers culture and ancient Greek Aegean culture.
From the perspective of developing countries, the early agricultural development level of ancient civilization in ancient Babylon, ancient Egypt and the Indus River basin (Tigris River and Euphrates River) was relatively high. Courtyard-based economic activities have become the main body to maintain farmers' livelihood, and the traditional small-scale peasant economy has always occupied a major position in the national economy of developing countries. The degree of commercialization of agricultural products is low, and the production is mainly based on iron tools and animal-drawn farming, forming a "small but comprehensive" traditional industry with decentralized small-scale peasant management, farming and weaving, and planting and breeding. Due to backward technology and lack of funds, on the one hand, the demand for labor in traditional agriculture has increased, and the contradiction between man and land has deteriorated. In the event of natural and man-made disasters, people will not have enough to eat and society will not be at peace. On the other hand, the accumulation of agricultural production is small, and scattered small-scale farmers cannot create high labor productivity, provide high-quality labor for the development of industries and other departments, and provide rich agricultural products for society, which makes it difficult for these countries to get rid of the shackles of agricultural society for a long time.
Courtyard economy in developed countries is accompanied by the emergence and development of market economy. In order to pursue profits, capitalist farms constantly use agricultural machinery and scientific and technological achievements, and expand reproduction by expanding the scale of operation, which leads to the increasingly obvious social division of labor between farms and agricultural enterprises. Commodity economy completely replaces the small-scale peasant economy, completely gets rid of the traditional "small but complete" production structure, and turns to specialized or mainly producing some (or some) agricultural products for the market. Family-based production projects either disappear or are in a subordinate position, resulting in grain farms, fruit tree farms and farms. Capital intensification not only promotes the scale and specialization of agricultural management, but also promotes the diversification and modernization of courtyard economy. In western Europe, northern Europe and other places, family farms are regarded as reliable social stabilizers, sources of employment and guarantees for poverty eradication. For those who manage agriculture, being in the vast space of the countryside and dealing with fresh nature brings a free and independent experience, which is the integration of man and nature. Agriculture closely links man and nature. Since 1990s, in rural areas of Europe, many family farms and manors have launched eco-tourism integrating leisure and entertainment, and promoted the development of family handicrafts and traditional food processing industry.
Second, the evolution and development trend of courtyard economy in China
Courtyard economy has long been an important activity in China's economic and social development. According to archaeological findings, stone axes, shovels, knives, sickles, pottery and other items unearthed in Cishan, Hebei, Peiligang, Henan and Hemudu, Zhejiang met the needs of people's production and life at that time. "Huainan Pan Zi Lun Xun" contains: "Apollo first made clothes, and his hand was accused of hanging, which was a trap." This is the most primitive textile level dating back to ancient songs. In the Warring States period, Shang Yang of Qin proposed that "the land should be enclosed and the tax should be flat." The ideal pursued by the society in this period is, "a house of five acres, with mulberry trees, can be clothed with fifty people." Chickens, dolphins and dogs are all domestic animals, so there is no time to waste. Seventy people can eat meat. One hundred acres of land, don't hurry, a family of eight can go hungry "("Mencius Hui Liang Wang Shang "). Moreover, the society at that time took agriculture as the "industry" and the production and circulation of luxury goods such as "carving" as the "terminal industry". In the late Warring States period, the scope of "end" was further expanded to the whole industry and commerce, thus forming the concept of "agricultural-based industrial and commercial end". Since then, this small-scale peasant economic production mode, which is based on "house" and "field", "planting elm, Sophora japonica, tung and catalpa before, planting bamboo after, and planting fruit trees in the courtyard next to the metallurgical garden" ("Book of Supplementing Agriculture") and "making the final production", has continued for a long time.