Innovation to Boost Agricultural Strength

China has issued a plan to accelerate its agricultural development, targeting an overall grain production capacity of 700 million tonnes by 2027. Agricultural technology and equipment will be strengthened and the international competitiveness of agriculture enhanced.

To achieve these goals, the plan, covering the 2024-2035 period, calls for promoting innovation in agricultural technology and equipment, with breakthroughs in core technologies and guided by industrial requirements.

Strategic sci-tech strength in agriculture will be enhanced and basic agricultural research will be supported, as well as public welfare research institutions. Leading agricultural sci-tech enterprises will be cultivated and a well-structured, collaborative and moderately competitive agricultural sci-tech innovation system will be built.

The layout of basic agricultural research will be strengthened, speeding up breakthroughs in genomics, preventive veterinary medicine, and in-depth cooperation between major agricultural production areas and regions promoted with sci-tech innovation.

Other tasks include promoting the full integration of digital technology and modern agriculture. A comprehensive agricultural observation network will be established integrating space, air and ground technologies. The statistical survey and monitoring system for agriculture and rural areas will be improved, a big data platform will be constructed and the mechanism for the development and utilization of agriculture-related data will be improved.

In addition, the plan emphasizes developing smart agricultural technologies with independent intellectual property rights, improving the standard system for smart agriculture and unleashing the digital productivity of agriculture and rural areas. A smart agriculture construction project will be implemented to promote the digital upgrading of large-scale farms, pastures and fisheries, and cultivate smart agricultural clusters with complete chains and coordinated operations.

Source: Science and Technology Daily