At present, the progress of spring sowing has exceeded one fifth. From the all-in-one sowing and fertilization machine in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, to the first brain like smart agriculture black technology in China, "soil measurement+intelligent generation of planting plan" for Lin'an Lei bamboo shoots within 10 minutes was achieved with only one field "minivan". New weather of smart agriculture taking root can be seen everywhere.
China's smart agriculture started late, but its development momentum is strong. In recent years, its scale has repeatedly reached new heights, and its application has become increasingly popular. According to statistics, the market size of China's smart agriculture industry will reach 71.3 billion yuan in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 9.18%. The data shows that the demand for agricultural robots in China has maintained a growth rate of 38.6% in the past five years. By the end of 2022, the number of unmanned farm projects nationwide has exceeded 100, involving 22 provinces, with a construction area of more than 300000 mu, including more than 10 large-scale unmanned farms with an area of more than 10000 mu.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the central and local governments have continued to introduce policies and measures to accelerate and support the development of smart agriculture around the goal of building an agricultural power. The Technical Guidelines for Green Agricultural Development (2018-2030) issued in 2018 comprehensively and systematically proposed the main tasks of smart agriculture development, including the promotion and application of digital agricultural intelligent management technology, smart agricultural production technology and mode, and smart facility agricultural technology. Since then, the number of smart agriculture related enterprises registered in China has rapidly increased to 3396 in 2020. The recently issued Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Learning and Applying the Experience of the "1000 Village Demonstration, 10000 Village Renovation" Project to Effectively Promote the Comprehensive Revitalization of Rural Areas pointed out that we should continue to implement the digital rural development action and develop smart agriculture. At the same time, conditional provinces are encouraged to build regional big data platforms as a whole. Vigorously develop smart agriculture, pointing out the direction for strengthening the high-quality development of smart agriculture and consolidating the data base.
However, compared with the requirements of a powerful agricultural country, China's current development still has some gaps. The most direct manifestation is that the penetration rate of intelligent technology is still low. For example, at present, China's intelligent high-end agricultural machinery is still less than 10% of the overall scale of agricultural machinery. Some key equipment and technologies are mainly imported, and many cutting-edge technologies are still limited to local point applications. The reliability and applicability of equipment and technology need to be improved. The application cost of intelligent technology is still high, the infrastructure and conditions necessary for the improvement of intelligent level are weak, and the protection of environment and biodiversity are insufficiently considered. Therefore, it is necessary to further increase investment and promotion, improve basic conditions and mechanisms, and guide practice in a scientific way to promote China's transformation into an agricultural power.
Ensure the long-term benefits of smart agriculture. In order to realize the long-term healthy development of smart agriculture, technological innovation, education and training, information sharing and environmental protection should be considered at the same time. We should continue to introduce advanced technology to improve the intelligent level of agricultural production; Strengthen technical training for farmers to ensure that they can master and apply new technologies. Strengthen the construction of agricultural Internet of Things and various terminals, improve the data sharing mechanism, and build a solid foundation for innovation and application of smart agriculture; Give consideration to protecting the agricultural ecological environment, and ensure that the long-term benefits of smart agriculture and the environment coexist harmoniously.
Improve the application efficiency of agricultural intelligent technology. To promote the integration of artificial intelligence and agriculture, we should make good use of the seasonal characteristics of agriculture and guide relevant application practices as a whole. In spring, the focus is on intelligent soil analysis and planting planning, precision irrigation and fertilization, intelligent monitoring and risk management of pests and diseases, and large-scale intelligent mechanical operations. In summer, the focus is to strengthen the application of UAV and remote sensing technology, monitor crop health status, and conduct early warning and intervention on growth and potential diseases and pests in combination with artificial intelligence analysis. Intelligent technology can also be used to promote intelligent irrigation technology according to the actual needs of crops and meteorological data. The focus in autumn is to achieve accurate and efficient crop harvesting through intelligent harvesting equipment and robots. At the same time, develop intelligent production forecasting and quality analysis technology to deduce market supply and demand. The focus in winter is to collect and analyze the agricultural data of one year, evaluate the application effect of intelligent technology, and provide scientific data support for planting arrangements of the next year. Winter is also the best time to carry out smart agricultural technology update and farmer training.
Improve the recognition of smart agricultural products. Systematic layout and scientific efforts shall be made. Through education and publicity, improve consumers' awareness of smart agriculture and popularize its contribution to food quality and environmental sustainability. Develop special product certification and labels, such as "smart agriculture certification", to help consumers identify related products. Increase transparency, such as using blockchain technology to track food sources, so that consumers can easily understand the whole process of food production and improve their market recognition. Precision marketing for specific groups, formulate reasonable price strategies, increase consumer experience through experience stores and farm visits, and effectively promote the marketization of smart agricultural products. (Author: Guo Jianfeng, Director and Researcher of the Think Tank Construction Research Department of the Institute of Strategic Consulting and Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences Source: Economic Daily)
