"Losing land means a farmer loses the most precious treasure of his family, the basis to make a living, as well as his security to support the elderly and raise the young," Zhang said.

Chen Lirong, a farmer in Jiangjin district, Chongqing municipality, said the 1,330 square meters of farmland her household farmed was confiscated last year and each family member received compensation of 28,000 yuan ($4,260).

"The money is not enough for my family to afford an apartment in town. So I'm in debt now. Since I lost my land, I have to work in a nearby factory and I can only earn less than 1,000 yuan a month," the 45-year-old told China Daily.

"Many people in my village are in the same situation and I even have a problem affording my daughter's college tuition fees," she said.

Zhang said "public interest" needed to be clearly interpreted in the law.

"Governments should not confiscate the land if it's not in the public interest, and farmers should have a say in the confiscation and they should be granted rights to supervise land use," Zhang said.

He also called for more compensation to be offered to farmers.

A solution to farmers' basic living, employment and social security should be a key index to gauge the achievement of local governments, he said.

"All farmers should be covered by the country's pension system and enjoy medical and unemployment insurance and the minimum living security payment," he added.