Ministry of Agriculture – Issues the Three-Year Implementation Plan for “Internet Plus” Modern Agriculture

On May 10, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the “Three-Year Action Plan for ‘Internet Plus’ Modern Agriculture,” setting out the overarching goal of achieving, by 2018, further improvements in the quality and efficiency of agricultural production and operations, greater efficiency and transparency in agricultural governance, and more convenient, inclusive agricultural services.

The Plan encourages new agricultural business entities—such as family farms, cooperatives, and leading enterprises—to leverage internet‑based thinking, cutting‑edge technologies, and innovative models to transform their distribution, management, and operational practices. It calls for organizing training programs to enhance farmers’ skills in using mobile devices like smartphones. Furthermore, it guides localities in vigorously developing precision agriculture, implementing targeted measures in large‑scale production areas for staple grains and specialty cash crops—including high‑standard farmland, modern agricultural demonstration zones, green, high‑yield, and efficient farming pilot sites, horticultural crop standard orchards—as well as among national model farmer cooperatives. These efforts encompass agro‑information monitoring and early warning, remote sensing of crop cultivation, pest and disease surveillance and forecasting, quality and safety monitoring at the place of origin for agricultural products, integrated water‑fertilizer systems and smart water‑saving irrigation, soil‑test‑based fertilization, and GPS‑guided precision tillage and planting. Centered on agricultural technical services, agro‑input services, agricultural machinery services, and financial services, the Plan seeks to establish an online agricultural business service platform, offering one‑stop modern agricultural solutions. It also aims to robustly develop agricultural e‑commerce, thereby boosting market‑oriented agriculture, driving standardization, and fostering larger‑scale operations.

The Plan outlines six key “Internet Plus” initiatives for modern agriculture: first, a regional pilot project on agricultural IoT; second, a demonstration project for agricultural e‑commerce; third, a program to bring information to villages and households; fourth, a demonstration project for precision farming operations; fifth, a mobile‑based demonstration service for soil testing and formula‑based fertilization; and sixth, demonstration zones for the agricultural information economy.