HomeFinanceOpinion | Can China’s leap into smart agriculture ensure its food security? – Technologist

Opinion | Can China’s leap into smart agriculture ensure its food security? – Technologist

November 5, 2024

As China faces food security challenges, can a digital revolution in agriculture hold the key to its food future? Beijing thinks so. It unveiled a five-year action plan on October 25 to accelerate this transformation, aiming to establish a digital planting technology scheme and a national agricultural big data platform by 2028.
Covering farms, livestock and fisheries, this initiative is designed to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. The push to use big data, the global positioning system (GPS) and artificial intelligence arises as China ramps up investment in farm machinery and seed technology to safeguard its food security.

China is the world’s biggest agricultural producer and importer. With less than 10 per cent of the planet’s arable land and even less of the water resources, China produces a quarter of the world’s grain and feeds one-fifth of the world’s population. It is also a major food exporter.

Amid changing geopolitical dynamics, climate change, trade disruptions and domestic challenges, China’s ambitious new strategy emphasises a greater role for technology in food production. Food security and self-sufficiency have long been priorities for China, and remain so under President Xi Jinping. But it is an uphill battle.
Chinese agricultural production faces many challenges, including changing dietary preferences and rising incomes, demand outstripping supply, arable land and water constraints, environmental degradation and competing land uses. Declining fertility rates and urbanisation patterns also raise questions over who will make up the future rural workforce.

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Chinese farmers give up on making a living from the land despite government focus on food security

Chinese farmers give up on making a living from the land despite government focus on food security

Climate shocks exacerbate matters, raising fears of crop failure and increases in pests and diseases. A severe drought across the Yangtze River basin in 2022, China’s rice production base, laid bare 2.2 million hectares of arable land and left countless livestock dead.

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Azeem Rajpoot, the author behind Technolo Gist, is a passionate tech enthusiast with a keen interest in exploring and sharing insights about the rapidly evolving world of technology. With a background in Technologist, Azeem brings a unique perspective to the blog, offering in-depth analyses, reviews, and thought-provoking articles. Committed to making technology accessible to all, Azeem strives to deliver content that not only keeps readers informed about the latest trends but also sparks curiosity and discussions. Follow Azeem on this exciting tech journey to stay updated and inspired.

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