How did Zhu Yuanzhang encourage agriculture in the lands he controlled?

To encourage agriculture and restore productivity, the Hongwu emperor and his successors implemented several strategic measures aimed at agrarian development, particularly in the North China Plain.1

Key initiatives included:

• Resettlement Programs: The government relocated farmers from the overpopulated southeast to the vacant lands of the north to facilitate agrarian redevelopment.1
• Resource Provision: To support these new settlers, the state provided seeds, tools, and animals, and granted them tax exemptions for three years.1
• Infrastructure Projects: The administration invested in water-control projects to restore the productivity of the Huang and Huai river basins.1
• Military Self-Sufficiency: Under the weiso ("guard-post") system, soldiers were granted land to cultivate during peacetime. This policy was designed to ensure that the military could support itself, thereby reducing the economic burden on the civilian population.2
• Frontier Development: Army garrisons stationed in the north were encouraged to develop vacant lands and become self-supporting to aid in the region's revival.1