China reaffirms commitment to advancing agricultural technology

China has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing agricultural technology with the release of the latest “No. 1 central document” on Sunday, emphasizing collaborative research, technological breakthroughs, and the development of cutting-edge farming solutions.

The document highlights the role of technological innovation in optimizing production factors, fostering leading agricultural enterprises, and strengthening key research platforms, such as “Nanfan Silicon Valley,” a breeding base in southern China.

“Nanfan,” which literally means “breeding in the south,” refers to a crop breeding practice that takes advantage of the warm winter and spring climate on Hainan Island and other southern regions of China.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other authorities jointly published an action plan for Nanfan Scientific and Research Breeding Base in Sanya on January 31, 2024.

The plan aims for the breeding base to become a national-level hub for breeding industry innovation by 2030, offering scientific research, production, sales, scientific exchanges and achievement transfer.

The document also underscores the promotion of biological breeding, high-quality agricultural machinery, and smart agriculture, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), data, and low-altitude technologies.

Last year, the national inventory of agricultural machinery surpassed 200 million units, with the deployment of terminal equipment using the country’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System exceeding 2.2 million units. The overall mechanization rate for crop planting, cultivation, and harvesting rose to more than 74 percent, with cultivation of the three primary staple crops now largely mechanized, China Media Group reported last December.

There is a smart farm called Fuxi Farmland in Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei Province. Utilizing big data and AI, engineers can manage grain planting by controlling remote unmanned machines from a control center located 20 kilometers away, while accessing real-time information about crops through a large monitoring screen.

East China’s Zhejiang Province has recently issued an action plan for the development of the low-altitude economy in agricultural and rural areas, aiming to further integrate this economy to enhance agriculture. According to the plan, by 2027, the number of agricultural drones in Zhejiang will exceed 10,000, and 100 intelligent monitoring points for agricultural production will be built.

With these strategic initiatives, China is setting the stage for a more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced agricultural future.