The “Year of Agro-tech Promotion” Program

The “Year of Agro-tech Promotion” Program

Published: 2014.11.10
Accepted: 2014.11.10
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Assistant Professor
School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China

Zhen Zhong

Assistant Professor

School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

Renmin University of China

 

After the release of the No.1 Central Document in 2012, the MoA conducted a nationwide program called “The Year of Agro-tech Promotion” under the theme of “Bring science and technology into every household to boost output and income rice”, with focus on the promotion of important and practical technologies. The program aimed to strengthen systematic reform and construction of agricultural technology promotion at the grassroots level, improve service ability of agricultural technology promotion and make contribution to the realization of “nine increase in a row” of grain production and “nine fast increase in a row” of farmers’ income.

Related departments in the MoA drew up the scheme of science and technology promotion in its own industry, actively implement it and held key landmark activities combined with the actual situation. Columns could be seen on newspapers such as Farmers’ Daily and The Rural Work Communication to reinforce the campaign. National industrial technology systems like rice, corn, wheat and beans have organized more than 2,000 experts in agricultural technology to campaign the year of activities of science and technology promotion, along with technicians in some leading producing towns. “Exhibition on Agricultural Technology Achievements since the 16th National Party Congress” has been held in the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall.

Each province (autonomous region, municipality) strengthened organization leadership by focus on “one connection and two covering” the activities of “Agriculture Science and Technology Promotion Year”. Provincial leaders in 20 provinces (autonomous region) have given important instructions regarding this and actively developed support work in local finance, and sped up systematic reform and construction of agricultural technology promotion on a basic level. 177 million yuan has been allocated to support construction of township agricultural technology promotion comprehensive service center in Jiangsu province, up 75% from 2011. 36.86 million yuan has been invested in Shanxi province for equipment allotment and construction and enlargement of business space in townships or regional agricultural technology stations.  31.6 million yuan has been invested in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to support the condition of construction in township stations.

Through joint efforts nationwide, “Agricultural Science and Technology Promotion Year” has made remarkable achievements:

First, it strengthened stable investment in projects of agricultural technology and raised up innovation ability of agricultural technology. Depending on research projects like public-welfare industry (Agricultural) special research project and the construction of modern agricultural industry technology system, the MoA initiated nearly one hundred agricultural research projects responding to needs of modern agriculture development. Tianjin invested 1 billion yuan to launch and implement agro-tech innovation projects. Zhejiang increased special research funds by 60 million yuan to strengthen technological innovation in 12 major industries including rice and rape. Nearly 100 million yuan has been invested in Beijing to strengthen the building of Beijing innovative team of modern agricultural industrial technology system. Hebei province initiated spherical project of the building of Hebei innovative team of modern agricultural industrial technology system, with 35 million yuan invested in 11 industries. Besides, 3 million yuan has been allocated from provincial finances to set up a provincial award for agricultural technology promotion.

Second, strengthened technology that keeps powering yield increase, and promotes healthy development of technology-supported industries. The MoA initiated technological activity of “double increase of two hundreds” of corn in the northeast district, held “king of corns challenge” together with Sinochem. 148 towns (yards) in the project district have all implemented the system of experts responsible for the town (yard), fully implementing farmers’ technique training and advanced practical skill promotion, raising up the ratio of realization of the technology, and laying solid foundation for achieving the goal of increasing per-hectare yield by 1.56 tons and per-hectare income by 3,147 yuan in 2.623 million hectares of corn fields.

Third, strengthened team building of agricultural technology promotion on a basic level and enhanced promotion ability and farmers’ production technology level. The MoA initiated training plan of 10,000 backbone technicians and pilot work of newly professional farmers’ training. Training of the newly professional farmers has been regarded in Shan’xi province as an effective pathway for making a breakthrough in the development of modern agriculture, with 50 million yuan of special funds allocated from the provincial finance to promote “professional farmer modeling project” in the whole province. Directive opinion on newly professional farmers’ training pilot work has been launched in Sichuan province. The newly professional farmers’ training has been pushed forward in the whole city of Longyan in Fujian province. According to an incomplete statistics, more than 90 million of technicians on a basic level, heads of the cooperatives, big household and common farmers have received training provided by the national agricultural system.

Fourth, strengthened long-term stable construction of agricultural technology pilot demonstration areas, and enhanced scale exhibition ability of agricultural advanced technologies and fast transformation efficiency. Mainly depending on the 1 144 comprehensive pilot stations of integration, testing and demonstration of agricultural new technologies, the MoA organized modern agricultural industry technological system, and established 10,006 long-term stable agricultural technological pilot demonstration bases. Headed by a comprehensive pilot station, each demonstration base formed a research demonstration team consisting of scientists, stationmaster, and backbones of main producing towns, and a basic database. Through the construction of demonstration base, a whole-industry chain high efficiency demonstration mode, with a main thread of agro-products, has been established for the first time, remarkably increasing the demonstration efficiency and practicability of technologies.

 

Date submitted: Nov. 5, 2014

Received, edited and uploaded: Nov. 10, 2014

 

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