Digitizing China’s Agriculture Industry

'Internet+ Agriculture' is the newest and more dynamic approach to accelerating the development of modern agriculture. Through creative applications of information technology, the construction of an agriculture demonstration area, and the establishment of a social service platform,the agriculture industry will be transformed to achieve a wide array of social and economic benefits.

Since last year, over 45 million yuan has been invested in building a digitally-integrated agricultural service center, covering an area of 2,400 square meters, to serve the whole agriculture industry chain. Providing for the practical demands of Wuchang agriculture production, four service systems supported by big data collection and cloud platform technologies haven been set up.

First is the Rice Tracing Service System. This system is intricately connected to rice production, tracing the quality of Wuchang rice by verifying the farmland, seed type, and planting method before finally testing the rice quality and providing security codes. Data of 2.1 million mu (1,400 square kilometers) of paddy fields has been entered into the system, in order to track the total rice production. In the production and supply section, Yiyang Boma Code Technology is used for product packaging. The product undergoes rigorous testing to guarantee the quality of Daohuaxiang No.2 Seed throughout the entire production chain, which can improve the popularity and reputation of Wuchang rice.

The second is the Agriculture Social Service System. The system contains eight service functions:

1. Weather Analysis - The platform collects weather information, analyzes it, and then sends it to farmers to help in crop management.

2. Technical Knowledge - Farmers can search the mobile platform for quick answers at any time on a wide range of subjects.

3. Expert Interaction - Experts reply to questions posed by farmers using voice, picture, and text messages.

4. Video Training - Farmers can watch instructional videos from experts and local technicians.

5. Intelligent Automated Control - The farmland and agricultural facilities are under constant digital supervision, allowing for the automation of many functions.

6. Agricultural Machinery Service - The platform tracks the use, wear, and maintenance of machinery, ensuring proper upkeep and efficient use of equipment within the agricultural cooperative.

7. Labor Employment - The platform organizes and updates labor information, so that supply and demand can remain balanced.

8. Office Automation - The platform offers cooperatives and companies an overall management model, creating a digital office space as well as providing additional information about subjects such as forestry, animal husbandry, and aquaculture.

The third feature is the Agricultural Products E-Commerce Service System. At present, there are more than 1000 merchants selling rice products on various kinds of e-commerce platforms in Wuchang. The annual sales have reached around 70 thousand tons, which accounts for 10 percent of total Wuchang rice product sales. However, inconsistent merchant qualifications and difficult supervision of the products made for numerous problems in the new commerce model. To solve this dilemma, we set up the E-Commerce Service System which is integrated with the Rice Tracing Service System, which means only qualified, vetted companies and products participate on the platform. Questionable or dishonest practices will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This government-backed credit platform can absorb all of the e-commerce merchants who sell qualified Wuchang rice products, while at the same time ensuring customers receive safe goods.

The fourth and final feature is the Governmental Resource Service System, which strives to:

1. Make political affairs public - Government functions as well as policies, laws, and regulations should be made transparent for the general public.

2. Manage resources - The platform should administer state-owned and collective resources effectively.

3. Publish information – Providing timely information about land circulation and financial insurance.

4. Monitor alerts – Pull information from various government monitors to track natural disasters like flash floods, mud slides, and forest fires.