China has established the world's largest social security system, with more than 1.3 billion people covered by basic medical insurance and over 1 billion covered by basic pension insurance, said Yang Sui, an associate researcher with the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

However, she said the social benefits the seniors living in rural areas were receiving were still quite low, and the government, market and families need to work together to improve that.

China has made significant progress in food security despite its limited arable land, water resources and its 1.4 billion people.

"Innovation driven by modern agricultural technologies and professionals is key to realizing China's food security strategy," said Wang Xiudong, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

Government subsidies should be the primary source of farmers' income, and various insurance policies should be introduced more extensively and precisely to ensure farmers benefit and inspire their enthusiasm for grain production, said Wang, who is also the deputy director general of the Strategy Research Center at the CAAS.