China raises seven major tasks to develop smart agriculture

China has rolled out plans to develop smart agriculture by giving prominence to the completion of seven major tasks by 2028 in terms of precision planting, digitalized cultivation and intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.

Released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the plans include guidelines and action items that focus on significantly improving the application of smart agriculture. Key areas of emphasis include promoting precision planting of major grains, digitizing agricultural equipment, and enhancing intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.

"We have orchestrated a monitoring network consisting of remote satellites, drone surveillance and ground screening, enabling real-time and comprehensive monitoring of agricultural meteorology, soil moisture content, and environmental factors such as pests and diseases. This greatly improves our ability to monitor and forecast agricultural disasters," said Wang Yaozong, director of the Department of Market and Informatization at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

For the first time, the construction of public service capacity for smart agriculture has been proposed. To support this initiative, relevant authorities will build a big data platform for agriculture and rural affairs and develop a range of models and tools to promote the digital transformation of farmers and agricultural businesses at low costs.

In Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, a smart farm called Fuxi Farmland has been implemented in various cities across China.

Utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI), engineers can manage grain planting by controlling remote unmanned machines from a control center located 20 kilometers away, while accessing real-time information about crops through a large monitoring screen.

"The smart agricultural machines are equipped with various intelligent control systems. Following the pre-set routes, they can operate accurately according to our pathways, with support from the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, all initiated through an app on a mobile phone or smart terminal," said Bi Zhiqiang, an engineer at the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Besides serving sowing and planting links, smart equipment also enhances breeding efficiency by creating models based on big data to optimize processes. To date, Fuxi Farm has been established in several provinces, facilitated by the deepening integration of technologies such as the Internet of Things and AI with agriculture.

China raises seven major tasks to develop smart agriculture

A major Israeli air strike on the Shejaiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City Wednesday has left at least 30 people dead, with dozens injured or missing under the rubble.

Shejaiya is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods of Gaza City. In one alley about eight homes have been reportedly hit and massively destroyed.

Resident Hussam Abu Sakran was trapped under rubbles after the attack. While he was later rescued, his mother did not survive the bombing.

"My mother was beside me. After the strike, I saw her torn apart. She was gone, just like that. How can I live without her? I don't know what to do. I don't know how I'll go on," he said.

The local rescue efforts were challenged by limited resources as they sifted through rubbles.

"Our crew are using the simplest tools, just hammers and bare hands to reach those trapped. We have no proper equipment. The number of the dead and injured is overwhelming, but we're doing everything we can to get them out and to the hospitals," said Ibrahim Abu Al-Rish, a Civil Defense staff member.

The Shejaiya neighborhood borders Israel, and the Israeli forces have enhanced presence in the area over the past several weeks.

Israeli strike kills over 30 in eastern Gaza neighborhood