Rural revitalization is an essential pathway to achieving common prosperity. Promoting farmers’ active participation in rural construction and fully enhancing their agency play a critical role in advancing the rural revitalization strategy and fulfilling people’s aspirations for a better life. The Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee calls for giving full play to farmers’ agency, creativity, and initiative, while the 2025 No.1 Central Document emphasizes government leadership, farmers’ participation, and social engagement, providing clear policy guidance for strengthening farmers’ agency in rural construction. From an integrated perspective that combines Marxist theory of human needs with the humanistic potential approach, farmers’ participation in rural construction is a fundamental path to realizing people’s pursuit of a better life. Existing research has produced significant achievements in three key areas: rural culture, rural institutions, and farmers’ behaviors. Further analysis reveals that these areas influence the development of farmers’ agency through three levels: value, organization, and practice, forming an intrinsic logic of cultural drive-institutional foundation-behavioral support. A re-examination of current rural construction practices through this culture-institution-behavior framework indicates that under the overarching strategy of comprehensive rural revitalization, challenges such as diminished local cultural identity, institutional conflicts, and limitations in farmers’ behavioral development continue to hinder farmers’ active participation. This study applies the culture-institution-behavior framework to a case analysis of the Y Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop in Guangxi, focusing on three dimensions: enhancing cultural identity through public events, creating participation pathways based on income-generating needs, and fostering comprehensive practical capacities through multi-role participation. It argues that effective rural construction practice should resonate to awaken cultural identity, coordinate to resolve institutional conflicts, and connect to overcome capability barriers, thereby stimulating farmers’ agency and promoting their active participation in rural construction. Moreover, the question of whose rural construction demands a multi-dimensional and multi-perspective analysis. A comprehensive consideration of cultural development, institutional reform, and behavioral empowerment can effectively foster farmers’ active participation, strengthen their agency, and contribute to achieving common prosperity through the rural revitalization strategy.