New directions for development of agriculture big data

With the development of rural e-commerce, data on the sales of agricultural supplies, agricultural production, and the circulation of agricultural products in the upstream and downstream of agriculture, as well as data related to agriculture such as land transfer, meteorology, soil, and hydrology, have all been accumulated and consolidated on a large scale. These big data will become the "brain" for agricultural decision-making. 

 

Agricultural big data has drawn attention. In the "Action Outline for Promoting the Development of Big Data" recently issued by The State Council, it is required to promote the sharing and opening of agricultural data resources in all regions, industries and fields, accelerate the research and development of key technologies for agricultural big data, and promote the sharing of agricultural resource element data. The "Action Plan for Promoting the Development of Agricultural E-commerce" issued by the Ministry of Commerce and two other ministries and commissions emphasizes that new-generation information technologies such as mobile Internet, cloud computing, big data and the Internet of Things should be integrated into all fields and links of agricultural e-commerce to effectively enhance independent innovation capabilities. 

 

There are many pain points in the agricultural industrial chain. Extensive production, decentralized operation, the seasonal and regional characteristics of agriculture itself, and information asymmetry have become common problems running through the agricultural industrial chain. One of the four major headache points in the current agricultural industrial chain often stems from the lack of information: the first is poor planting quality. Agricultural operators have insufficient grasp of planting and breeding techniques and information on pests, diseases and epidemics. At the same time, labor costs are rising and counterfeit and shoddy agricultural supplies are flooding the market. The second issue is that they cannot be sold. The problem of unsold and hard-to-sell agricultural products has occurred frequently in many places, and agricultural operators have underestimated the production data of similar products. The third issue is the difficulty in renting land. The inability to rent land for expanding production scale is related not only to the scattered plots and shortage of funds, but also to the lack of information channels for land transfer. The fourth issue is that it is difficult to borrow money. Apart from collateral, agricultural operators find it difficult to provide sufficient credit data, and thus often struggle to borrow money. This also restricts their ability to update production equipment and expand production scale. The above-mentioned four major pain points involve information connection among multiple entities such as agricultural operators and the government, upstream agricultural supplies enterprises, downstream consumers, and financial institutions. 

 

The integration of big data and agriculture. With the integration of big data and agriculture, different industries along the agricultural chain may undergo ecological transformation. Take the single farm driven by big data as an example. Operators will use more green and efficient agricultural supplies. The simple labor force that has already risen with The Times will be replaced, and the knowledge-based and technology-oriented "new agricultural operators" who adapt to big data will have more opportunities to play their roles. If the development of "water and fertilizer integration" is adapted to, water-soluble fertilizers and liquid fertilizers will be promoted. However, the previously popular ordinary chemical fertilizers may be eliminated from the market because their particles cannot be completely dissolved and clog the drip irrigation equipment. 

 

The development of agricultural big data. At present, both "rural e-commerce" and the big data industry are still in their infancy. It is not realistic to widely promote agricultural development relying on big data technology in the short term. The agricultural big data market is still a market full of opportunities and waiting to be developed. To this end, it is necessary for government departments, agricultural-related enterprises, big data enterprises and agricultural production and operation entities to work together to promote the demonstration and popularization of agricultural big data. To better integrate big data with agriculture, the first step should be to promote the construction of big data infrastructure, providing a foundation for all kinds of agricultural operators to "go online" and connect with big data. It is necessary to develop as much as possible the various types of agricultural big data held by the government, so that agricultural supplies enterprises can rationally allocate production and formulate agricultural supplies solutions for different regions and varieties. Secondly, relevant departments need to provide policy support to guide agricultural enterprises and big data enterprises to build agricultural big data platforms centered on varieties or regions. Make agricultural big data services a direct profit-making project or a supporting value-added service for enterprises.