Strengthen scientific and technological innovation of digital agriculture
Tang Huajun, Academician of China Academy of Engineering and Dean of China Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Central Network Information Office jointly issued the "Digital Agriculture and Rural Development Plan (2019-2025)" to make top-level design and systematic planning for promoting the development of digital agriculture and rural areas. To fully implement the deployment requirements of the plan, it is necessary to strengthen scientific and technological innovation in digital agriculture and rural areas and create new engines and kinetic energy for agricultural and rural modernization.
The integration of digital technology and agriculture and rural areas is accelerating, but the development of digital agriculture and rural areas still faces many challenges.The new generation of information technology, represented by mobile Internet, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, is developing with each passing day. The data is exploding and growing, gathering in large quantities, and digitalization, networking and intelligence are accelerating to penetrate into the agricultural industrial system, production system and management system, profoundly changing the global economic landscape. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council vigorously promoted the construction of digital China, implemented the strategy of digital countryside, continuously improved the ability of scientific and technological innovation, significantly accelerated the research and development of facilities and equipment, vigorously developed remote sensing, Internet of Things and big data applications, synchronized development of digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, and the emergence of new digital industries and formats, which promoted the digital transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture and rural areas. Compared with industry and service industry, the application of digital research in agriculture and rural areas is obviously lagging behind. The infrastructure is still weak, the construction of data resource system is not perfect, and the lack of standards hinders the application collaboration and develops the foundation "gap"; The research and development strength of core key technologies is insufficient, the adaptability of agricultural robots and intelligent agricultural machinery equipment is poor, and the innovation ability is "out of gear"; The integration of digital technology with agriculture and rural areas is insufficient, data integration is insufficient, development and application are insufficient, and the level of industrialization is "broken", so it is urgent to fill the "short board" of insufficient digitalization.
Promote scientific and technological innovation in digital agriculture and rural areas and empower agricultural and rural modernization with data.We should take "data-knowledge-decision-making" as the main line, break through the core key technologies, equipment and integrated systems, and lay a solid foundation for the development of digital agriculture and rural areas. First, strengthen the innovation of accurate perception and data collection technology, build an agricultural and rural information collection technology system integrating "sky and land", carry out research on data collection, input, summary, application and management technology, improve the ability of obtaining and processing raw data, and solve the basic problem of "where does the data come from and how to manage it". The key point is to promote the research and development of professional remote sensing satellites to meet the needs of agriculture and rural areas, break through the common key technologies of UAV agricultural application, overcome the special sensors for agricultural production environment and physiological signs of animals and plants, and realize cross-regional, all-factor and multi-level data collection of agricultural resources and environment, production, management, management and service in important agricultural areas and pastoral areas; Research and develop a big data management platform for agriculture and rural areas, and break through key technologies such as "centralized+distributed" integrated cloud architecture and data security for agricultural and rural resources and assets. The second is to strengthen the innovation of data mining and intelligent diagnosis technology, build an intelligent processing and analysis technology system for agricultural big data, strengthen the advanced layout of strategic cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, blockchain+agriculture, and big data cognitive analysis, and solve the key problem of "how to process and analyze data". The key point is to tackle key problems in common, integrate agronomy knowledge and models, computer vision, deep learning and other methods, and develop proprietary models and algorithms for monitoring, identifying, diagnosing, simulating and regulating animal and plant production, so as to realize digital and intelligent diagnosis of all factors and the whole process of agricultural production;Focusing on rural digital services, we will strengthen the research and development of key technologies such as agricultural and rural data resource association mining, intelligent retrieval, intelligent matching and deep learning to meet farmers’ all-round information needs for public welfare services, convenience services, e-commerce and experience services. The third is to strengthen the technical innovation of precise management and information service, build a technical system of intelligent decision-making and management in agriculture and rural areas with data empowerment, speed up the digital transformation of industry management and service processes, and solve the export problem of "how data serves". The key point is to strengthen the integration research of agricultural and rural proprietary software and information system, and develop ambient intelligence control system, rapid detection of agricultural product quality and cold chain logistics technology, and reliable traceability technology of agricultural products; Strengthen the independent research and development capabilities of intelligent equipment, create a number of agricultural intelligent sensing, intelligent control, autonomous operation and other material equipment, and focus on breaking through intelligent equipment such as agricultural robots, numerical control spraying, intelligent detection, intelligent handling, intelligent picking, and grading and sorting of fruit and vegetable products; Develop digital agricultural standards and specifications, and establish data standards, data access and services, software and hardware interfaces and other standards and specifications.
Construct the scientific and technological innovation system of digital agriculture and rural areas, and enhance the independent innovation ability of digital agriculture and rural areas.To accelerate the scientific and technological innovation of digital agriculture in rural areas, we should not only play the role of the government, but also mobilize the forces of all parties to form a joint force and jointly promote it. It is suggested that government departments at all levels should further increase investment, improve special facilities and R&D bases, and build a number of national digital agricultural rural innovation centers and professional sub-centers around strategic frontier technology layout, key common technology research, technology integration application and demonstration, and agricultural artificial intelligence R&D application, and build an innovation platform for technology research, equipment research and development and system integration. Take tackling key problems in digital agriculture and rural science and technology as the support focus of major national special projects and key research and development plans, establish a modern agricultural industrial technology system, and promote the deep integration of digital technology and agriculture and rural areas. Cooperate with scientific research institutions, universities, enterprises and other parties to cultivate a number of leading talents, engineers and high-level management teams in digital agriculture and rural areas. Strengthen the training of digital agriculture and rural business, carry out the activities of talents going to the countryside in the field of digital agriculture and rural areas, popularize the relevant knowledge of digital agriculture and rural areas, and improve the application and management level of digital technology for "three rural" cadres, new business entities and high-quality farmers. As a national comprehensive agricultural research institution, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences will gather the research strength and scientific and technological resources of the whole hospital and even the whole country, aim at the strategic needs of China’s digital agriculture and rural development, condense major scientific and technological propositions, and carry out collaborative innovation and joint research on major theories, key technologies and equipment of digital agriculture and rural agriculture from a higher level and a broader perspective to solve major scientific and technological problems;Focusing on the deep integration of digital technology and agricultural and rural modernization, we will effectively integrate existing advanced equipment, practical mature technologies and system achievements, carry out standardized assembly, integration, maturation and application verification, accelerate the transformation and demonstration application of digital agricultural and rural scientific research achievements, and explore the two-way integration mechanism of "innovation chain+industrial chain" to provide strong scientific and technological support for implementing rural revitalization strategy and solving China’s "three rural" problems.