"Internet Plus" Modern Agriculture Debuts at the Agricultural Trade Fair
The 13th China International Agricultural Trade Fair, themed "Adjust the structure, transform the mode, develop modern agriculture," not only showcased in a concentrated way applied achievements such as the agricultural Internet of Things, agricultural big data, agricultural cloud, and agricultural product e-commerce, but also became a "hall" for discussion and exchange, and "Internet Plus" modern agriculture was given unlimited expectations.
From informatization to "Internet Plus," the modern agriculture engine is accelerating
Integrated water and fertilizer management, video "consultations" for vegetable diseases and pests on the 12316 hotline... These agricultural informatization achievements all once drew "crowds of onlookers" at the exhibition booths of the Agricultural Trade Fair. Today, the penetration and integration of the Internet and agriculture is accelerating and upgrading. "Veteran visitors" of the Agricultural Trade Fair will notice that Beijing "Nongxintong," known in the previous two years for providing agricultural Internet of Things solutions, this year "sold" tea and navel oranges, while Zhongnong Group, famous for growing vegetables, brought the "Eat Globally" agricultural product e-commerce platform; Beijing Baoxun Traceability Company, which provides information services by "tagging the ears" of livestock, can also, relying on the animal husbandry and veterinary big data system platform, arrange loans for farmers...
Expanding the space of the network economy, developing the sharing economy, and promoting the integrated development of the Internet and the economy and society - this requirement put forward by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee for "advancing agricultural informatization" has already begun to be practiced in the field of "Internet Plus" modern agriculture. These explorations originate from the power of the market and also benefit from the release of a series of policy "dividends" such as the "'Internet Plus' Action Plan."
"Internet Plus" has brought historic development opportunities to the accelerated development of agricultural modernization, and is an important driving force and engine for accelerating the transformation of the agricultural development mode under the current new normal. So, how can wisdom and strength be drawn from it? Where are its fulcrum and carrier? What should be "added," and how should it be "added"? People hoped to find some ideas and answers at this Agricultural Trade Fair.
From theory to practice, the carriers of "Internet Plus" modern agriculture are wonderfully diverse
During this Agricultural Trade Fair, two "one plus three" activities themed on "Internet Plus" modern agriculture - the 2015 Agricultural Informatization Summit Forum and the joint promotional activity by online media - were especially eye-catching.
The three sub-forums respectively focused on agricultural product e-commerce, agricultural product quality and safety, and rural finance, and invited more than 30 industry experts, scholars, and business people to conduct theoretical discussions and exchange experience on these "weak links" that urgently need breakthroughs in the process of building "Internet Plus" modern agriculture.
Beyond the forums, the joint promotional activity by online media provided a broader space for exchange for exhibitors and visitors. In the "Internet Plus" Agricultural Trade Fair section, the portal website of the Ministry of Agriculture, the China Agricultural Information Network, and 31 provincial-level agricultural government websites joined with more than 50 media organizations at the central and local levels to create an "online Agricultural Trade Fair that never closes" with new perspectives and new media presentations. In the "Internet Plus" e-commerce section, visitors could experience on site the "offline implementation" of agricultural product e-commerce. In the "Internet Plus" market entities section, numerous agriculture-related Internet enterprises "competed in splendor," demonstrating the main force of "Internet Plus" modern agriculture.
The booth of Chinese Medicinal Materials Tiandi Network, designed as a transparent "traditional Chinese medicine shop," attracted many people to stop. More than 200 varieties and more than 1,000 specifications of Chinese medicinal materials, from high-end ones such as cordyceps and ginseng to ordinary ones such as Job's tears and red dates, were available here for people to observe and compare. That Chinese medicinal materials with a "mysterious" tradition can be so clear at a glance benefits from the implementation of the "Electronic Trading Specification Standards for Chinese Medicinal Material Products." This set of standards pioneered the field of domestic e-commerce trading standards and realized "letting people who do not understand the trade also buy medicinal materials." Is this not the best interpretation of open and shared Internet thinking?
From "watching the excitement" to "cool-headed thinking," providing solutions with multiple possibilities
A relevant official of the Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture said that the 2015 Agricultural Informatization Summit Forum set a record in history, with registrations alone exceeding 1,800 people and actual participants exceeding 2,000.
"Internet Plus" modern agriculture uses Internet technology and Internet thinking to spur agricultural innovation. Experts proposed establishing a new concept of consumption-oriented agricultural development, giving play to the "catfish effect" of agricultural e-commerce to innovate the circulation pattern of agricultural products, using big data to guide and regulate the production and consumption of agricultural products, and using informatization means to promote innovation in agricultural management methods.
Li Yong, chairman of Beijing "Nongxintong," believes that relying on the Internet of Things platform to carry out crowdfunding and developing agricultural product e-commerce and leisure sightseeing agriculture e-commerce is precisely building a new ecosystem around the entire agricultural industry chain.
"Internet Plus" modern agriculture must be based on solving the real problems of modern agricultural development. Participants believed that scientific and technological research must be strengthened and "new farmers" cultivated. It is urgent to focus on breaking through the bottleneck of fresh agricultural product e-commerce, accelerate the demonstration construction of the agricultural Internet of Things, break down compartmentalization to eliminate "information islands," and develop Internet finance to support agriculture. Zhang Hecheng, director of the Market and Information Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, also pointed out at the "Internet Plus" entrepreneurship and innovation salon that new farmers are a new group and new force in the Internet era.
From "working alone" to "crowdfunding," jointly building and sharing to promote deep integration
Of course, "Internet Plus" modern agriculture is a systematic project. It is necessary both to give full play to the role of market entities and to strengthen the guiding and coordinating role of the government, forming an overall pattern of broad alliance and broad collaboration.
A good start is that at this forum, the National Agricultural Informatization Alliance was officially established. This agricultural informatization collaborative organization, jointly initiated by the Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and 31 provincial-level agricultural information centers across the country, has already attracted more than 2,500 units to join, with more than 60,000 participants. Through work sections such as establishing an informatization think tank, a 30-person forum, and training bases, the alliance will form a mechanism for communication, exchange, and collaboration among industry, academia, and research, driving the deep integrated development of informatization and agricultural modernization.
The Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture has already proposed a "two-wheel" driven development strategy for national agricultural big data, and is actively building "three centers and one base," namely the E-Government Technology Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Big Data Development Center, the National Agricultural Informatization Promotion Center, and the Agricultural Informatization Incubation Base. This will provide positive momentum and support for "Internet Plus" modern agriculture.