Abstract：Farm households constitute the basic unit of China's agricultural economy, and their development is central to rural revitalization. Drawing on recent advances in peasant studies, this article uses field survey data from Qingyuan, North China, in the 1930s and compares them with the historical experience of pre-industrial Britain. It adopts a dual framework of theoretical reflection and empirical comparison to examine the institutional logic of agricultural modernization. Farm household income and consumption serve as core indicators of agricultural development. Their sustained growth depends on securing property rights, effective market circulation of agricultural products, and the emergence of new family farms. Strengthening the endogenous dynamism of the farm household economy is essential not only for food security, but also for long-term economic growth.

Key words：farm household economy ; income and consumption ; rights protection ; market circulation ; family farms ; modernization

Published on Collected Papers of History Studies, Issue 2, 2026.