An information sharing meeting convened by the FAO China office on 21 June brought together experts and policymakers to discuss how digital technologies can help transform China’s food system and promote the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas. DCZ experts Michaela Boehme and Ahmatjan Rouzi attended the event and participated in the discussions.
The event presented first results from a research project investigating best practices from China’s agricultural and rural digitalization. Jointly financed by FAO China, the China Agricultural Science and Education Foundation (CASEF), Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, and the Center of International Cooperation Service (CICOS) of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), the research project focuses on how digital technologies improve rural governance, make agriculture more sustainable, and lead to healthier diets.
In her keynote speech, Prof. Junye ZHAO from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) presented different use cases and models of digitalization that her research team had identified across the country, while Prof. Zhenbo LI from introduced smart digital technologies developed by his institute that have great potential to increase agricultural productivity. Ms. Yue YANG from Pinduoduo gave an overview of the different support programs her company has set up to better connect producers and consumers via digital technology, including a 10 billion RMB agricultural technology fund Pinduoduo set up in 2021 to speed up the digitalization of China’s agriculture sector. Last but not least, Ms. Dandan PAN from the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Xianju County, Zhejiang Province presented a digital value chain system for waxberry production that was pioneered by Xianju County and has become a model for other provinces.
In the following discussion, experts stressed the need to empower smallholder farmers to access digital tools, develop location-specific approaches, and find effective ways to help other countries learn from China’s experiences.
Around 30 guests from science, business, and policy attended the event, including representatives from European countries. A report with the results of the research project will be published by FAO in early 2025.
