Accelerating the development of agriculture through technology: making agricultural production more efficient

On October 27th, the China Rural Development Foundation, in collaboration with the China Agricultural Mechanization Association, held a seminar and project partner exchange activity on the “Science and Technology Promoting Agriculture, Running Out of Acceleration” agricultural machinery socialization service project at the 2023 China International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition. Tian Jinming, Deputy Director of the Application Guidance Department of the Agricultural Mechanization Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wang Tianchen, Vice President of the China Agricultural Mechanization Association, Xie Jing, Executive Deputy Secretary General, Liu Wenbin, Director of the Agricultural Machinery Management Department of the Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhang Yuanfeng, Director of the Agricultural Machinery Socialization Service Project of the China Rural Development Foundation, as well as representatives from Fenxi County, Xi County, and Hezheng County, Gansu Province Representatives of project partners from Guang’an, Sichuan and Tiandong County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region participated in this event, jointly exploring how to use technological resources to help small farmers achieve cost reduction and income increase in agricultural production.

Large and small-scale farmers are the basic national conditions and agricultural conditions in China. With the acceleration of modern agriculture in China, the demand for services from a wide range of farmers and new business entities is increasing, and the requirements are becoming higher. Agricultural socialized services are an effective way to alleviate the problem of “who will plant land, how to plant land, and how to plant good land” in rural areas. By centralizing the production processes that cannot be done, are not done well, and are not cost-effective for each household, and entrusting them to service entities, we can achieve a level of specialization, standardization, and intensification in the agricultural production process, thereby achieving agricultural modernization.

In 2023, in response to the high level of aging in rural areas and low agricultural production efficiency, the China Rural Development Foundation initiated a project to promote the socialization of agricultural machinery services. The project adopts the “village collective+cooperative+small farmers” model, and through assistance in modern agricultural equipment and facilities, theoretical and practical training, and the establishment of a socialization service mechanism, it aims to improve agricultural production efficiency, reduce production costs, and assist small farmers in underdeveloped areas in effectively connecting with modern agriculture, Thus increasing industry revenue.

Yang Heping, a retired youth who returned to his hometown, said, “The emergence of new agricultural machinery has made a qualitative leap in traditional agricultural production methods and solved years of confusion.” In 2020, he returned to his hometown and led everyone to establish the Gansu Zhongbang Meiyu Agricultural Machinery Professional Cooperative. In the same year, the foundation assisted the cooperative with one T30 drone and one tractor, which was also the first drone in Linxia Prefecture. The cooperative began to build a “agricultural machinery+manipulator+socialized service” model. In recent years, the cooperative has achieved the development of “from scratch, from scratch to good” through the support of agricultural machinery socialized service projects. As of 2023, it has developed to 14 tractors and 2 drones, and has established a dedicated drone service team and tractor service team of 15 people. The average age of agricultural machinery workers is 40 years old. The cooperative has achieved an annual socialized service area of over 20000 acres and an annual profit of over 80000 yuan. The cooperative has provided full mechanized custody services for multiple cooperatives, agricultural companies, family farms, and farmers in the county, including plowing, fertilization, film laying, sowing, drone defense, and straw storage.