Digitally empowering agricultural production

In recent years, Xinmin City, Liaoning Province has actively promoted the development of “digital agriculture” and taken the lead in building a “digital twin agricultural base”, empowering farmers to plant and produce crops, using digital technology to facilitate agriculture and promote industrial development.

Although it is a busy farming season, Wang Shizhong, a grain grower in Zhongguchengzi Village, Qiandangbao Town, Xinmin City, Shenyang, Liaoning, is quite calm. By opening the “MAP Smart Agriculture” software on his phone, he can easily see the satellite map of 1800 acres of land circulating this year, weather conditions within two hours, soil moisture, and other information.

The amount of land transferred, whether the weather is suitable for pesticide application, the depth of irrigation layers, and the growth of crops have all relied on manual measurement and on-site observation in the past. Now, through satellite data collection, not only can problems be detected in a timely manner and early warnings be made, but also precise positioning can greatly reduce the amount of field inspection work. “Wang Shizhong said,” Looking at the ‘number’ of fields, last year, the income of rice per mu increased by 50 kilograms, and the cost of fertilization decreased by 20 yuan.

Digital “planting” into black soil adds impetus to rural revitalization. In recent years, Xinmin City, Liaoning Province has actively promoted the construction of “digital agriculture”. In 2021, it was approved as one of the first batch of digital rural pilot cities in Liaoning Province; At the end of 2021, we will take the lead in building a “digital twin agricultural base” nationwide, with 17 specialized databases on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, collecting various agricultural related data. Technologies such as information websites, SMS platforms, voice systems, and smart agricultural apps have been applied in local agricultural government management, comprehensive information services, agricultural production and operation, and agricultural product circulation.