How Can Informatization Help Optimize and Upgrade Agriculture

Advancing the building of agricultural informatization is a powerful lever for promoting the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure of agriculture and rural areas. Under market economy conditions, whether the agricultural structure can be optimized and adjusted depends on whether the price signals of products and factors are true and accurate; price signals are the core factor determining the direction, scale and speed of resource allocation, and the basic driver of changes in structure and in the level of resource allocation efficiency. But in rural areas, farmers have very limited channels for obtaining information, and information services are also very backward, resulting in inefficient product supply that deviates from the goals of social demand and from the structure. Therefore, strengthening market information services has become an urgent task for advancing the optimization and upgrading of agriculture.

Place the advancement of agricultural informatization in a more prominent strategic position. Earnestly implement the strategic arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on strengthening the building of agricultural informatization, enhance the sense of responsibility and urgency for advancing agricultural informatization, and with greater determination and greater effort promote the close combination of information technology and agriculture, accelerate the pace of China's agricultural informatization, continuously expand the coverage of agricultural informatization, and narrow the gap in the degree of informatization between urban and rural areas.

Effectively give play to the leading role of government departments in the building of agricultural informatization. Governments at all levels should further strengthen leadership, and agricultural departments at all levels should closely cooperate with relevant departments and effectively play a leading role. It is necessary to strengthen research on and formulation of plans for agricultural informatization development, guide the direction of agricultural informatization development, clarify the priorities of agricultural informatization construction, strengthen agricultural public information services, improve the macro-control of agricultural informatization, and ensure the smooth advancement of agricultural informatization. It is necessary to actively guide and mobilize relevant enterprises to participate enthusiastically, mobilize broad support from all sectors of society, and vigorously create a good atmosphere for jointly advancing agricultural informatization. It is necessary to make great efforts to cultivate the habit among the broad masses of farmers of paying attention to information and using information, and strive to enable them to see benefits and obtain tangible gains in the process of advancing informatization, further enhancing their consciousness and initiative.

Vigorously promote the extension of grassroots information networks and information service work. Grassroots networks should focus on extending to specialized production bases with relatively strong economic strength, strong driving capacity and strong service capacity, agricultural product markets, leading enterprises, specialized cooperative economic organizations of a certain scale, farmer brokers and large growers and breeders. In terms of service methods, vigorously promote the “three-in-one” model of television, telephone and computer, using the three information carriers of television, telephone and computer to realize complementary advantages between traditional media and modern networks, fully give play to the advantages of each information carrier, and meet the individualized needs of agricultural production and business operators.

Effectively strengthen the building of rural information teams. The focus is on strengthening training for agricultural information staff, especially training in market information knowledge, improving the ability of information workers to collect, analyze, organize and release information, and gradually establishing a capable and efficient agricultural information team that combines professional technology with analytical application. Enhance the professional working ability of agricultural information personnel, so that they are proficient in their work, better serve agricultural production, and improve information quality and service levels. Pay attention to the introduction, training and protection of agricultural information talent. Governments at all levels should emancipate their minds a bit more and look a bit further, and each year select a certain number of talents from graduates of universities, colleges and secondary schools to replenish this team.

Agricultural departments at all levels should increase government funding input for agricultural informatization. It is suggested to specially arrange funding for agricultural market information work, mainly used for information network operation, maintenance and equipment renewal as well as personnel training, etc. Arrange a certain amount of working funds and project funds to improve working conditions and enhance the efficiency of agricultural information work.

Strengthen the building of the agricultural market information system. It is suggested to issue policies and establish specialized agricultural market information institutions, set up agricultural information networks (or information stations) in key townships and advantageous industrial areas, clarify work functions, and ensure that information stations at all levels are equipped with certain facilities and equipment; computers, telephones, fax machines and other equipment must be provided for every station, so as to accelerate the development of agricultural informatization.