The No 1 Central Document of the Communist Party of China Central Committee for
2025 emphasized that developing "new quality productive forces" in agriculture
suitable to local conditions is pivotal to rural vitalization. The central
authorities will support the development of smart agriculture and a digital
countryside, while helping increase the application of technologies such as
artificial intelligence and big data in agriculture.
The document also
emphasizes the importance of better protecting arable land and increasing food
production. In light of the recent developments in AI technology, including
homegrown DeepSeek, the policy document has provided top-level design support
for the in-depth application of AI technology in agriculture.
AI has the
potential to resolve the structural contradictions facing traditional
agriculture, such as labor shortage and low resource utilization, by optimizing
resource allocation and boosting total factor productivity. AI can foster an
agricultural revolution by leveraging data elements as a carrier to transform
the technological dividend of urban society into a driving force for rural
development, thereby promoting integrated urban-rural development.
In recent
years, China's rapidly rising aging population and intensifying "hollowing out"
of rural areas — the exodus of young workers from the countryside — have
created a pressing problem: who will cultivate the land. Agricultural machinery
powered by AI has emerged as a tool to mitigate the labor shortage and
alleviate the aging demographic strain in rural regions.
The development of
intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment is a key focus of China's
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; it is part of the ministry's
strategy to advance agricultural technology. At the 21st China International
Agricultural Trade Fair, held in Guangzhou late last year, agricultural robots
including those for picking lychees, and harvesting pineapples and dragon
fruits were displayed. These emerging technology tools are designed to perform
labor-intensive tasks, enabling automated planting and harvesting.
AI also has
huge potential for advancing smart agriculture. For instance, the document
highlights the need to promote the beef and dairy cattle industries. To achieve
this goal, Gangbei district of Guigang city in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region
is developing "intelligent animal farming". It has established five
intelligent pig farms, including the Xinghe AI pig farm, which has an automatic
ventilation and temperature control system, automatic manure scraping
machinery, an automatic mechanical feed conveyor system, and an AI inspection
system. As a result, its pig rearing capacity has increased from 400-500 heads
to 4,000-5,000 heads, and feeding costs have reduced by more than 20
percent.
Also, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Alibaba have
jointly developed a smart breeding platform, which efficiently manages,
schedules and analyzes big data on breeding using AI algorithms, thereby
offering new possibilities for cultivating superior crop varieties.
The No 1
Document has also set a goal — of stabilizing the grain growing areas and
increasing production and quality — necessitating the need for AI-driven
advancements in smart planting and farming technologies.
In the development of
the agricultural industry chain, AI technology is poised to help optimize the
supply chains, unlock the value-added potential of farm products, and empower
farmers to enjoy the industry's value-added benefits. For instance, Chongqing
has developed the Nongpinhui platform, leveraging AI technology to precisely
balance the supply and demand of agricultural products. Since its launch, the
platform has facilitated 201,000 transactions, helping farmers generate more
than 5.9 billion yuan ($814 million) in income and address issues related to
stagnant marketing of farm products.
In Lingshan county, Guangxi Zhuang
autonomous region, AI technology is being used to achieve digital upgrading
across the entire production, supply and marketing chains in the lychee
industry. The county has established a digital public warehouse, offering
services such as grading, packaging, preservation and logistics for lychees and
other farm products. Consequently, the total output value of the industrial
chain has surpassed 3 billion yuan.
The document also highlights the importance
of establishing specialized agricultural clusters and enhancing the level of
industrialization in agriculture. The extensive application of AI in the
digital transformation of the agricultural sector and rural e-commerce and
other fields will greatly contribute to agricultural prosperity.
However, the
widespread adoption and implementation of AI technology in agriculture come
with a range of challenges and limitations. First, farmers face a "digital
divide" due to lack of digital literacy. Second, the potential leakage of
farmland data poses a threat to national security. And third, the huge
procurement costs of AI equipment can be a big financial burden on farmers.
To
advance the integration of AI technology in agriculture, therefore, the
authorities should include AI skills training into the new vocational farmer
training course, in order to enhance farmers' digital proficiency. They should
also establish a tiered protection framework for agricultural data to ensure
the transmission of sensitive information is securely encrypted.
Moreover, the
authorities need to encourage and support the emergence of new agricultural
management entities, the establishment of intelligent agricultural industrial
parks, and leverage the rural collective economy to increase the adoption of
intelligent agricultural equipment. By doing so, they will help AI become the
pivotal force boosting agricultural efficiency, invigorating rural areas,
increasing farmers' incomes — and advancing Chinese modernization of
agriculture and the countryside.