Fashionable agriculture is developing at the right time, and the opportunities should not be missed

Urban agriculture, balcony agriculture, distinctive farmhouse entertainment, homestays, rooftop agriculture, ecological agriculture and agricultural tourism have quietly emerged. Agriculture is no longer simply about facing the yellow earth with one's back to the sky, nor is it simply about the high efficiency brought by mechanized production; instead, it is combined with creativity, technology, tourism and the internet, presenting a new look and character. Thus, a new concept, "fashionable agriculture," has emerged at the right moment, and the connotations of this concept have gradually become fuller and more complete with the development of agricultural practice.

So-called fashionable agriculture refers to an emerging agricultural development model that integrates traditional agriculture with technology and creativity and directly faces the market. There are multiple paths for developing fashionable agriculture, but its core is integration with technology and creativity. Whether it is agricultural tourism or low-carbon agricultural products, its support is technology and creativity. In essence, fashionable agriculture is the integrated development of the primary industry and the tertiary industry, and the deep integration of the primary industry and modern services.

There are five paths for developing fashionable agriculture:

First, the integration of agriculture and technology. The integration of fashionable agriculture and technology does not merely refer to mechanized agriculture or large-scale agriculture, but focuses more on using modern technology to develop ecological agriculture, low-carbon agriculture and circular agriculture, such as vertical agriculture and building agriculture; using modern technology to cultivate products with creativity and visual impact, such as pumpkins weighing several thousand jin, oversized potatoes and organic vegetables; the purpose of fashionable agriculture's use of technology is not simply to increase output, but to achieve low-carbon, environmentally friendly and sustainable development, or to provide technical support for creative agricultural products. The use of technology in fashionable agriculture is precisely a supplement to large-scale mechanized production, and its low-carbon and ecological characteristics are the direction of future agricultural development.

Second, the integration of agriculture and creativity. The combination of agriculture and creativity highlights the pleasures of life - "farming fun." For example, growing vegetables and fruits on a balcony, although it requires technological support, clearly has more creative elements than technological elements. For example, some agricultural tourism projects design farmland and crops into certain shapes and colors, full of design sense. For example, some high-end homestays all have a professional design team. For example, farmhouse entertainment's design of dishes and homestays' design of rooms both require creativity, and the meaning of that creativity must be farming fun. The integration of agriculture with technology and creativity is the foundation of the other paths of fashionable agriculture.

Third, the combination of agriculture and tourism. Agricultural tourism refers to an emerging agricultural project that attracts urban tourists through natural landscapes formed by agricultural production, thereby increasing farmers' income. Agricultural tourism emphasizes participation and experience. In China, agricultural tourism is not only about leisure and sightseeing; behind it there is also a kind of spiritual sustenance and a sense of cultural root-seeking. For the development of agricultural tourism products, it is necessary not only to have authentic agricultural products, but also to include the pursuit of honest human nature, a relaxed pace of life, and a modern simple style, and so on.

Fourth, the integration of agriculture and the internet. This refers to farmers using modern internet methods to increase the added value of agricultural products. For farmers, the internet is a means and a window to the outside world. For example, some people sell agricultural products such as potatoes and tea online - this is a primary form of integration. At a higher stage, for example, using the internet to carry out agricultural crowdfunding projects, this is a feasible path for the many college students returning to their hometowns to start businesses. The integration of agriculture and the internet is inseparable from vigorously improving the quality of the rural labor force, and clearly requires government guidance and support.

Fifth, the combination of agriculture and ecology. One of the fashionable elements of fashionable agriculture is healthy ecological products. For example, pollution-free vegetables and fruits, clean air, pleasing scenery and a slow pace of life are all products, and urban people must pay for these. Therefore, fashionable agriculture must maintain the authenticity of nature. Fashionable agriculture is not about moving five-star hotels to the countryside. Agricultural tourism should not only satisfy the "mouth," but also satisfy the "heart," satisfying the yearning for and pursuit of a natural and peaceful life, and satisfying a reaction against the fast-paced urban life.

At the present stage, the development of industrialization has caused enormous damage and pressure to the environment. The products people use daily are also manufactured by industrialized means, lacking individuality and having lost the original flavor of natural agriculture. The yearning for a better life naturally leads people toward the pursuit of healthy, green and environmentally friendly products. Thus, low-carbon ecological products, including tourism products, have become important content of fashionable agriculture. At the same time, many modern urban people like to go to the countryside, release pressure, seek authentic nature and taste original fun, so farming fun has also become important content of fashionable agriculture. If fashionable agriculture departs from and deviates from low-carbon environmental protection and farming fun, then it will not be fashionable either, and will inevitably lose its appeal. Therefore, fashionable agriculture is always combined with the protection of the ecological environment, and this is also the direction of sustainable agricultural development.

In developing fashionable agriculture, in addition to protecting the ecological environment, attention must also be paid to preserving the productive nature of agriculture. Fashionable agriculture is mainly intended to increase the added value of agricultural products, raise farmers' income and create a better life in rural areas. But China is a large country with more than a billion people, and the development of agricultural fashion must not damage the environment, still less production; the productive nature of agriculture must be preserved. Among this, the guidance and support of relevant departments are especially important.