Ministry of Agriculture Plans to Teach Farmers Mobile Internet Use in 3 Years

Economic Daily, Beijing, November 4 (Reporter Qiao Jinliang) The Ministry of Agriculture announced today that it plans to use about 3 years to train farmers in mobile phone application skills and information technology capabilities, enhancing farmers' ability to use modern information technology, especially mobile internet, to develop production, facilitate daily life, and increase income and prosperity. A relevant official from the Ministry of Agriculture stated that strengthening training and services for farmers in mobile internet use is an important measure for agriculture and rural informatization to “overtake on the curve” and for coordinated urban-rural development.

The Ministry of Agriculture notice requires striving to use about 3 years to significantly enhance farmers' information supply capacity, transmission capacity, and acquisition capacity, so that the infrastructure and equipment for farmers to apply information technology are further improved, and farmers' abilities to use computers and mobile phones to provide production information, obtain market information, conduct online marketing, make online payments, achieve smart production, and implement remote management are markedly strengthened. Mobile application models of new-generation information technologies such as mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, and the Internet of Things in agricultural production, operation, management, and services are widely promoted, and various production services, contracted land management, policy and regulation consultation, etc. for farming households basically achieve online mobile internet services.