Adopting Efficient Low-Carbon Technologies and Innovations 1 Contents 1. Achievements and Trends of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development in China ................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Strengthening the Protection and Economical Use of Agricultural Resources Continuously ........................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Improving the Environment of Agricultural Production Regions Gradually.... 4 1.3 Promoting the Construction of Digital Agriculture Steadily ............................ 5 1.4 Rapid Development of Agricultural Mechanization ......................................... 6 1.5 Problems in the Development of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture ................................................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Green Development Is an Important Way to Promote the Construction of High- Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture in the New Era ....................................... 7 2.The Measures, Technological Paths, and Policies of China's High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development ........................................................................ 8 2.1 Five Major Actions for Agricultural Green Development ................................ 8 2.2 Construction of a Digital Technology System for Agricultural Green Development ......................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Policies for the Development of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Development of agricultural mechanization ......................................... 11 2.3.2 Promotion of organic fertilizer.............................................................. 12 2.3.3 Pesticide reduction ................................................................................ 13 2.3.4 Comprehensive use of straw ................................................................. 15 2.3.5 Remediation of plastic film pollution ................................................... 16 2.3.6 Water saving in agriculture ................................................................... 17 3.Technical Model of China's High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development ................................................................................................................ 18 3.1 High-Yield Technology of Agricultural Mechanization ................................. 19 3.1.1 Sub-soiling ............................................................................................ 19 3.1.2 Laser leveling ........................................................................................ 19 3.1.3 Precise seeding ...................................................................................... 20 3.1.4 The development of combine harvesters for large-scale farming ......... 20 3.2 Digital Agriculture and Smart Agricultural Technology ................................. 21 3.2.1 Construction of agricultural data information resources ...................... 22 3.2.2 Space-Ground Integrated Network (SGIN) digital technology and environmental standards for green production areas ..................................... 23 3.2.3 Agricultural model technology ............................................................. 23 3.2.4 Smart agricultural equipment ................................................................ 24 3.2.5 Highly sensitive, reliable, maintenance-free, low-power agricultural sensors ............................................................................................................ 24 3.2.6 Integration of agricultural green digital technology and 5G ................. 25 3.2.7 Standardization and smartization of agricultural green production technology ...................................................................................................... 26 2 3.2.8 A transparent traceability system for the full industry chain of agricultural products ...................................................................................... 26 3.3 New Technologies 3.3.1 New technologies for improving the use of chemical fertilizer in China .............................................................................................................. 27 3.3.2 New technologies for improving the use of pesticide in China ............ 31 3.4 High-Efficiency and Farmland Water-Saving Irrigation Technology ............. 34 3.4.1 Quick access to field moisture information .......................................... 34 3.4.2 Drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler irrigation ....................................... 34 3.4.3 Integrated irrigation technology of water, fertilizer, and agricultural chemicals........................................................................................................ 35 3.4.4 Actively developing dry farming and water-saving agriculture............ 36 3.5. Comprehensive Use Technology of Straw ..................................................... 37 3.6 Promotion of Residual Film Recycling Machinery to Decrease White Pollution on Farmland .......................................................................................................... 39 4. Typical Cases of China's High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development ................................................................................................................ 41 4.1 Sinochem Agriculture MAP (Modern Agricultural Platform) Strategy .......... 41 4.1.1 MAP offline: MAP technical service center + MAP demonstration farm ................................................................................................................ 42 4.1.2 MAP offline: MAP Smart Agriculture platform ................................... 42 4.1.3 Examples of Sinochem MAP model in China ...................................... 44 4.2 Donglin Model: Typical Circular Agricultural Green Production in China .... 45 4.2.1 Brief introduction to the Donglin Model .............................................. 45 4.2.2 Characteristics of the Donglin Model ................................................... 46 4.3 The Operational Mechanism of the Crayfish and Rice Co-Cultivation Model in Qianjiang, Hubei ................................................................................................... 47 4.3.1 The family farm model ......................................................................... 48 4.3.2 Enterprise + base + cooperative + farmer model .................................. 49 4.3.3 Full industry chain model ..................................................................... 50 3 1. Achievements and Trends of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development in China China has made great achievements in the construction of high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture through continuously strengthening its “Strong, Benefit, and Rich� farmers’ policy, which is directly related to farmers’ prosperity since 2016. Average annual grain production has been maintained at more than 650 million tons for five consecutive years. Vegetable basket products (such as meat, eggs, and milk) and aquatic products have a high yield and sufficient supply. China has steadily improved in the quality and safety of its agricultural products as well as in the modern agricultural standard system. With the continuous increase in the proportion of effective irrigation area of farmland, the contribution rate of progress in agricultural science and technology, the comprehensive mechanization rate for the cultivation and harvest of major crops, modern facilities and equipment, and advanced science and technology supporting agricultural development have been promoted significantly. Moreover, the ecology and environment have been significantly improved because of pollution prevention and control. A new development stage has arisen for Chinese high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture. 1.1 Strengthening the Protection and Economical Use of Agricultural Resources Continuously With unremitting efforts from the government and the public, the trend of overuse of agricultural resources in China has been basically curbed, the intensity of the use of agricultural resources has gradually declined, and the protection and economical use of agricultural resources have achieved positive results. (1) Remarkable effects of cultivated land protection and construction The following measures have been taken to improve the nutrient content of cultivated land and the productivity of the cultivated layer: vigorously carrying out the construction of high-standard farmland and the transformation of medium- and low-yield fields; actively promoting soil testing, formula fertilization, and crop straw-returning technology; implementing a soybean revitalization plan; expanding the pilot farmland rotation and fallow system; strengthening the protection and use of black land in Northeast China; and starting the management of degraded cultivated land. According to Chinese government statistics, the national average level of cultivated land quality was 4.76 in 2019, an increase of 0.35 from 2014 (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2019). (2) Rapid development of water-saving agriculture The growth momentum of total agricultural water consumption has been effectively controlled by strongly developing water-saving agriculture. With the change in irrigation method from flood irrigation to high-efficiency water saving, current agricultural production methods are characterized by intensification. With the active development of water-saving agriculture and the promotion of dry farming and high-efficiency water-saving irrigation technologies, China has built several water- 4 saving facilities such as sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, and rain-collecting cellars since 2016. The effective use coefficient of farmland irrigation water increased to 0.559 in 2019. Moreover, China continues to carry out a comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices, implement the total amount control and quota management system, and promote the management of groundwater overexploitation areas. Total agricultural water consumption has declined and agricultural water- use efficiency has increased constantly in China. (3) Strengthening the protection and use of biological resources steadily The following measures have been taken to strengthen the protection and use of biological resources: promoting the protection and use of crop germplasm resources and livestock and poultry genetic resources; implementing the actions of aquatic biological resource conservation; improving the risk monitoring, evaluation, and prevention and control mechanism for alien species; and protecting biodiversity. At present, more than 200 national-level livestock and poultry conservation farms for genetic resources, protected areas, gene banks, and areas of aquatic germplasm resource conservation have been established. 1.2 Improving the Environment of Agricultural Production Regions Gradually In recent years, China has continuously strengthened the environmental protection and governance of agricultural production regions and carried out the policy named “one control, two reductions, and three basics� (controlling the total amount of agricultural water, decreasing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide, and the resource use of livestock and poultry manure, straw, and agricultural film), for which the goal is to control agricultural non-point source pollution. As a result, significant progress has been made in the environmental management of agricultural production regions. (1) Achieving zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide China has implemented soil-testing formula fertilization and using organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer, and promoted the specialized unified prevention and control of crop diseases and insect pests along with green prevention and control. The use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide has been continuously decreased as well as the use rate improved. The amount of nitrogen fertilizer converted to pure application decreased from 23.81 million tons in 2012 to 19.3 million tons in 2019, a compound annual decrease of 2.31 percent and a cumulative decrease of 18.95 percent. The amount of potash fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer used dropped from 6.40 million tons and 8.43 million tons in 2015 to 5.61 million tons and 6.82 million tons, respectively, in 2019, with a compound annual decrease of 0.84 percent and 2.02 percent and a cumulative decrease of 7.3 percent and 16.8 percent, respectively. In 2019, the amount of pesticide used in China was 1.456 million tons, achieving negative growth for five consecutive years. Moreover, the use rate of chemical fertilizer and pesticide for the three major food crops (rice, maize, and wheat) reached 40.2 percent and 40.6 percent, respectively, in 2020. (2) Promoting the use of livestock and poultry manure resources fully Focusing on the major counties that breed pigs, dairy cows, and beef cattle, the entire county promotes the use of livestock and poultry manure resources, develops the construction of livestock and poultry manure treatment and resource use facilities, and explores the use of livestock and 5 poultry manure resources suitable for different regions. In 2020, the national comprehensive use rate of livestock and poultry manure surpassed 75 percent and the supporting rate of manure treatment facilities for large-scale farms surpassed 95 percent (State Council, 2017). (3) The comprehensive use rate of crop straw has increased constantly China is vigorously promoting the comprehensive use of straw. With the implementation of straw return to the field and straw to raise livestock, a comprehensive use pattern of fertilizer, feed, fuel, base material, and raw material has basically been formed. As of 2020, the comprehensive use rate of straw had reached 85.45 percent (State Council, 2020). The comprehensive use of straw generally shows a trend of stable development. (4) The recycling rate of waste agricultural film has increased significantly The current main measures to increase the recycling rate of waste agricultural film in China include promoting a decrease in mulch film coverage, product standardization, mechanization of picking, specialization of recycling, accelerating the application of thick mulch film above 0.01 mm, and exploring market-oriented mulch film recycling and processing mechanisms. In 2019, the use of agricultural film nationwide was 2.408 million tons, a decrease of 2.38 percent from the previous year. Furthermore, the coverage and use of mulch film across China have achieved negative growth, the recycling rate of agricultural film has reached 80 percent, and “white pollution� in key areas has been effectively prevented as of 2020 (Agricultural Science and Technology Daily, 2018). 1.3 Promoting the Construction of Digital Agriculture Steadily In recent years, China's agricultural informatization has made certain achievements in infrastructure construction, logistics improvement, and agricultural product e-commerce development. Twenty-eight provinces across China have issued Internet+ action implementation plans. The comprehensive demonstration of e-commerce in rural areas has supported 1,180 demonstration counties. The “information into villages and households� project has been implemented in 18 provinces. There are more than 70,000 business sites. All of these measures have improved the production and operational environment of farmers to a certain extent and promoted an increase in farmers’ income. As of 2021, more than 30,000 drones have been put into use during the spring ploughing period in China and the number of tractors with the BeiDou navigation satellite system and precision operation agricultural machinery has exceeded 20,000. In 2020, Guangzhou Amy Farm’s rice fields achieved 5G signal coverage (the first to start the 5G field journey in China). Chongqing's first 5G networked unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for plant protection has also been successfully tested. In the future, it will be able to provide farmland with efficient flight defense services with integrated UAV, big data for remote sensing and agriculture, and precision agriculture services, for which the operating area can reach 20 to 27 hectares per day, 20 times that of manual operations. 1.4 Rapid Development of Agricultural Mechanization Agricultural mechanization is an important symbol of modern agriculture. Promoting agricultural mechanization and intelligence vigorously is the inevitable path to high-efficiency and 6 low-carbon agriculture. The amount of agricultural machinery and total power has increased steadily lately. According to statistics from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the output of large tractors increased significantly in 2019. In the first three quarters of 2020, the output of large tractors reached 47,500 units, exceeding the entire year of 2019. At the same time, the total power of agricultural machinery mainly used for various activities for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery reached 1.027 billion kWh, an increase of 2.33 percent annually. Moreover, with the massive transfer of agricultural labor, the national comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting had increased from 63.82 percent in 2015 to 70 percent in 2019. 1.5 Problems in the Development of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture Although many achievements have been made in the development of high-efficiency and low- carbon agriculture, many problems still need attention. (1) In the context of the upgrading of residents' consumption, the problem of structural imbalance in the supply and demand of some agricultural products has become increasingly prominent. Furthermore, with the development of high-quality, diversified, and specialized agricultural products lagging behind, the further expansion in the supply and demand gap of soybeans, the increase in demand for maize production, and the excess goods in some agricultural industries, it is more difficult to ensure the structural balance of total supply and demand. (2) In the context of tightening resource and environmental constraints, the problem of extensive agricultural development methods has also become increasingly serious. Pollution such as “three industrial wastes� and urban domestic waste spread to agriculture and rural areas, thus diminishing the quantity of arable land, decreasing quality, causing overexploitation of groundwater and excessive use of inputs, increasing agricultural non-point source pollution, and increasing risks to agricultural product quality and safety. All of these problems mean that promoting green development and resource sustainability is extremely urgent. (3) In the context of the deep integration of domestic and foreign agricultural product markets, the problem of weak agricultural competitiveness has become increasingly prominent. China has relatively low advantages because of the continuous increase in production costs such as labor and land, the price inversion of major agricultural products between domestic and foreign markets, and the increase in the importation of some agricultural products annually. (4) In the context of economic slowdown and power conversion, the problem of increasing farmers’ income has become increasingly difficult. The task of accelerating the decrease in the income gap between urban and rural residents and ensuring the realization of an all-around well-off rural life on schedule is arduous because of the limitations of a price increase in agricultural products and the narrowness of the growth of farmers' income caused by transfer employment and the slower increase in household operating income and wage income. 1.6 Green Development Is an Important Way to Promote the Construction of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture in the New Era Ensuring food security is the primary task of agriculture. High resource inputs have played an important role in increasing grain production in China, but the current marginal benefits of resource- consuming agricultural inputs have tended to become exhausted. Developed countries all regard 7 agricultural science and technology innovations as a national strategic priority and focus on strengthening the smart and sustainable green development of agriculture and food. However, at present, only 10 percent of China's agricultural and rural technologies lead, and 39 percent and 51 percent, respectively, are 12 years behind European and American technologies. Therefore, the promotion of national agricultural green development and modernization urgently requires the innovation and application of green technology, breaking the ceiling of traditional technology, and realizing a substantial leap because traditional agricultural technology can no longer achieve a leap- forward improvement in agriculture. China’s No. 1 Document of the Central Committee was released in 2021, which is about comprehensively promoting rural revitalization and accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas to make overall arrangements for the current and future period of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers’ work pointing the direction. That document proposes promoting the green development of agriculture and accelerating the construction of high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture. Furthermore, it suggests promoting the green development of agriculture by focusing on resource-use efficiency, clean production area environment, stable ecosystems, and improvement of green supply capacity. In general, promoting the green development of agriculture is a profound revolution in the concept of agricultural development, which puts forward higher and newer requirements for scientific and technological innovation in agriculture. These requirements mainly involve overcoming major bottlenecks such as the current tightening of agricultural resources, prominent environmental problems, and ecosystem degradation; realizing the ecological harmony and sustainable development of agricultural production and life; forming a spatial pattern, industrial structure, production method, and lifestyle that conserve resources and protect the environment; optimizing the layout of scientific and technological resources and reforming the organization of science and technology; and building a technical system that supports the green development of agriculture. All of these measures focus on improving the competitiveness of agricultural quality and benefits. 2. The Measures, Technological Paths, and Policies of China's High- Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development 2.1 Five Major Actions for Agricultural Green Development China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) issued the Agriculture Ministry Notice on the Implementation of the Five Major Actions for Green Agricultural Development in order to implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council along with new development concepts, accelerate the advancement of agricultural supply- side structural reforms, enhance the ability of sustainable agricultural development, and improve the quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of agricultural development. It decided to start implementing the action of resource use of livestock and poultry manure; the action of replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilize with fruits, vegetables, and tea; the action of straw treatment in Northeast China; the action of agricultural film recycling; and using aquatic organisms focusing 8 on the Yangtze River five major actions for green agricultural development. (1) The action of resource use of livestock and poultry manure. It is suggested to accelerate the construction of a new pattern of sustainable development that combines planting and breeding with protecting supply and the environment, along with government support, corporate entities, and market-oriented operational policies, which focus on large-scale livestock counties and large-scale livestock farms. Furthermore, this has improved livestock poultry manure treatment capacity to carry out pilot projects for the use of livestock and poultry manure resources in major animal husbandry counties, organize the implementation of integrated planting and breeding projects, integrate and promote the technical mode of resource use of livestock and poultry manure, and support breeding farms and third-party market entities to transform and upgrade processing facilities. This action has also consolidated local government responsibilities to build a direct reporting platform for large-scale livestock and poultry farms, and to improve performance evaluation and assessment systems. All of these efforts strive to solve the problem of manure treatment and resource use on large-scale livestock and poultry farms. (2) The action of replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer with fruits, vegetables, and tea. This could achieve cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing and quality improvement with the goal of developing agriculture with ecological recycling; promoting the quality and benefits of fruits, vegetables, and tea; and being the focal point of the dominant production areas, core production areas, and well-known brand production bases of fruits, vegetables, and tea by vigorously promoting the replacement of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer and accelerating the promotion of livestock and poultry farming wastes and crops using straw as a resource. Furthermore, it is suggested to integrate a batch of replicable, extendable, and sustainable production and operation models such as selecting 100 key counties (cities, districts) for fruits, vegetables, and tea to carry out demonstrations to support and guide farmers and new operators to produce and apply organic fertilizer, thus promoting its use according to local conditions. A goal is also to adopt government purchasing services to cultivate organic fertilizer, thus providing unified implementation services and attracting the participation of social forces. Moreover, China built a batch of organic fertilizer substitution facilities and green and high-quality agricultural production bases (parks) to promote the demonstration effect around the advantageous production areas and core production areas. (3) The action of straw treatment in Northeast China. This is suggested to improve the comprehensive use of straw with the advancement of its use as fertilizer, feed, fuel, raw material, and base material; improve the research on and development of new technologies, new processes, and new equipment; and accelerate the establishment of an industrialized use mechanism. This goal is based on the local conditions that prioritize agricultural use, locality, government guidance, market operations, and scientific and technological support, which may focus on the treatment and use of maize stalks, and achieve the goal that improves the comprehensive use rate of straw and protects black soil. The main measures include taking the lead in piloting the comprehensive use of straw in 60 major maize-producing counties in Northeast China, actively promoting technologies such as deep ploughing back to the field, harmless anti-corrosion and zero-polluting incineration and heating of straw fodder, and implementing the subsidy policies of straw returning to the field, collection, storage, transportation, processing, and use. This stimulates the vitality of market entities, builds market-oriented operating mechanisms, and explores comprehensive use models. All of these measures have strived to basically eliminate open burning in the Northeast. 9 (4) The action of agricultural film recycling. The characteristics of this implementation are regional promotion and comprehensive management, which take the Northwest as the key area; cotton, maize, and potato as the key crops; and the application of thick mulch, mechanized picking, professional recycling, and resource use as the main directions. The main measures involve constructing 100 governance demonstration counties in Gansu, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and other regions; comprehensively promoting the use of thickened mulch; promoting reduction and substitution; and promoting the establishment of recycling in various ways, such as old-for-new, business entities recycling, professional organization recycling, processing enterprise recycling, etc. This also involves applying the mechanism to pilot the extension system of mulch film producer responsibility of “who produces, who recycles,� improving the monitoring network for residual mulch film pollution on farmland, and exploring the integration of ground recovery rate and residual status into the comprehensive assessment of agricultural non-point source pollution. All of these efforts have strived to effectively control the white pollution of farmland. (5) Aquatic organisms focusing on the Yangtze River five major actions for green agricultural development. It is suggested to gradually promote a comprehensive ban on fishing in the Yangtze River Basin, take the lead in achieving a ban on fishing in aquatic biological reserves, and restore the fishery ecological environment along the river by adhering to ecological priority and green development, decreasing production volume, increasing income, diminishing ship numbers, and converting production. The measures include increasing capital investment and guiding and supporting the conversion of fisherfolk to production. The fishing boat control targets are included in the binding assessment indicators of local governments and relevant departments. Through the demonstration and establishment of healthy aquaculture breeding, the construction of marine pastures is promoted, and the decrease in and efficiency of aquaculture are promoted, as well as strengthening the management of the total amount of marine fishery resources, improving the fishing and fishing ban system, cooperating with relevant departments to carry out special law enforcement actions such as the summer fishing ban, and continuing to clean up and rectify the “no household net� and the “three nos� vessels involved in fishing. It is suggested to carry out rescue actions for rare and endangered species, strengthen the protection of aquatic habitats, improve the functional system of protected areas, upgrade the protection level of key species, and accelerate the establishment of the Yangtze River's rare and endangered species gene library. All of these measures have strived to effectively curb the decline in aquatic biological resources in the Yangtze River Basin, the deterioration of the ecological environment of the waters, and the decline in aquatic biodiversity. These measures also seek to promote the restorative growth of aquatic biological resources and coordinate the total production of marine fishing with the total carrying capacity of marine fishery resources. 2.2 Construction of a Digital Technology System for Agricultural Green Development China's agricultural development faces major changes. The green development of agriculture is a profound revolution in the concept of agricultural development. It is in urgent need of disruptive technological innovation to break the ceiling of traditional technologies. At the same time, humankind is experiencing unprecedented digital technological innovation and digital technology 10 has become a leading force for agricultural innovation and driving transformation. Agricultural green development urgently needs a high degree of integration of green technology and digital technology. The innovation of agricultural green digital technology will help fundamentally overcome the low efficiency of agricultural resources, prominent environmental problems, the lack of digital technology standards, shortage of labor, and weak international competitiveness of industries. The major bottlenecks will promote the rapid development of China's high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture in the new era. With the vigorous development of information technology, new technological revolutions and industrial changes are emerging. The formation of agricultural digital technology, the innovation of theoretical algorithms, the improvement of computing capability, and the evolution of integrated use are driving agricultural green production into a new stage of digitization and quantification and helping green agriculture to move forward. Digital technology has become a leading force in agricultural innovation and driving transformation, thus providing new means for the high-quality development of China's agriculture. Establishing a digital technology system that supports the green development of agriculture; carrying out long-term tracking, monitoring, and analysis of the environmental quality conditions of crop growth, livestock and poultry breeding, and fishery production; and promoting fine management of the entire agricultural production process have become important for the green development of agriculture. The digital technology system for agricultural green development is guided by the concept that green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains. The characteristics are that data are the key production factor, clouds are the core technology engine, and modern information technologies such as the Internet, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence are combined with green agricultural production, industry, operations, and management in depth for the perception, precise identification, and smart control of all elements of the green agricultural industry chain, including humans, machines, animals and plants, environment, and information. The aim is to comprehensively upgrade and transform the upstream and downstream of the agricultural green industry chain with informatization and to form a digital transformation industrial ecology featuring precision green perception, smart green production, traceability of green circulation, platformization of green transactions, and customization of green services. Since 2014, environmental protection laws and regulations have been revised and promulgated successively, agricultural and rural environmental protection laws have been continuously improved, and the “four beams and eight pillars� of green agricultural development have basically been established. The new generation of information technology represented by the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence has been integrated and developed with green planting and breeding, thus continuously advancing the process of green agriculture informatization and developing precision green agriculture. The value of data knowledge is generally recognized and encouraged, and digital type and functional type have become the main characteristics of the field of agricultural green production and circulation. At this stage, green agriculture digital services have attracted much attention and a new journey of green agricultural development, upgrading, and transformation has begun. 11 2.3 Policies for the Development of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture 2.3.1 Development of agricultural mechanization China’s agricultural mechanization can be divided into three stages: planned economy (1949‒ 1980), market-oriented exploration stage (1980‒2004), and legalization (2004‒present). It has experienced low-speed development, basic stagnation, and slow advance for different development processes. Facts have proven that the state's policy supply has played a key role in the development of the agricultural machinery industry. Since 2004, the state has made institutional arrangements for agricultural machinery from multiple levels and perspectives, paying more attention to the technological progress and quality improvement of agricultural machinery, focusing on the entire process of agricultural mechanization, and at the same time promulgating relevant systems for the appropriate intensification of land, such as using agricultural machinery. This has included the construction of service entities and the promotion of financial insurance for agricultural machinery. With the implementation of the Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Law in 2004, China's agricultural machinery industry ushered in a golden 10 years of development. The national comprehensive mechanization level of crop cultivation and harvesting increased from 35.7 percent in 2004 to 62.0 percent in 2015, and the level of agricultural mechanization changed. The primary stage has entered the intermediate stage of agricultural mechanization. With the advancement of urbanization, the decline in the rural labor force, and the advancement of land intensification, agricultural mechanization will inevitably develop. At the end of 2017, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the Three-Year Action Plan to Enhance the Core Competitiveness of Manufacturing Industry (2018‒2020), which clearly included the industrialization of key technologies for modern agricultural machinery as a development focus. Document No. 1 of 2018 of the Communist Party of China, The Opinions of the Central Committee and State Council on Implementing the Strategy for Rural Revitalization, focused even more on improving the overall level of agricultural machinery and equipment and developing high-end equipment manufacturing as an important task. This shows the confidence and determination of the Party Central Committee to vigorously develop agricultural machinery and equipment. Since 2012, pilot projects for subsidies for scrapping and renewing agricultural machinery have been carried out in 12 provinces, including Shanxi, thus restricting high-energy consumption and high-polluting products from entering the agricultural machinery purchase subsidy catalog, and promoting energy-saving and emission-decreasing agricultural machinery operations. In 2016, the pilot program for subsidies for scrapping and renewal of agricultural machinery was expanded to 16 provinces. In 2017, 19 provinces across China launched subsidies for scrapping and renewal of agricultural machinery. From 2012 to 2017, a total of 129,000 machines were scrapped, more than 410 million yuan invested in subsidies for scrapped old machines, and 1.81 billion yuan used for renewal subsidies, thus benefiting more than 122,000 farmers. The pilot subsidy for the renewal of agricultural machinery scrapping has effectively promoted the elimination of old agricultural machinery; mobilized farmers to renew their enthusiasm for purchasing advanced, applicable, safe, reliable, energy-saving, and environment-friendly agricultural machinery; and played an important role in structural adjustment, safety, energy conservation, and emission reduction. 12 2.3.2 Promotion of organic fertilizer Since the 1980s, with the development of the chemical fertilizer industry, most of the organic fertilizer resources have become agricultural waste. Since 1997, farmers’ income has increased by less than 4 percent for seven consecutive years and urban and rural development have become seriously unbalanced. In order to alleviate social conflicts in rural areas and promote farmers’ income, renewed emphasis on the use of organic fertilizer resources has gradually become the focus of national attention. From 2004 to 2013, the Party Central Committee and the State Council issued a total of nine Central No. 1 Documents to guide agriculture and rural work, mainly focusing on enriching and benefiting farmers, strengthening rural infrastructure construction, and building a new socialist countryside. The principle of “give more, take less, and liveness� has jointly formed the basic thinking and policy system for strengthening the work of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the new era, opened a historical chapter in building a new socialist countryside, and ushered in another spring of agricultural and rural development. As an important link in agricultural production, organic fertilizer has also become the key to agricultural and rural work in this period. In 2014, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Several Opinions on Comprehensively Deepening Rural Reform and Accelerating the Promotion of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture, signaling that the development of China's agricultural economy has shifted from the previous all-around advancement and rapid development to gradual improvement in quality, quantity, and stability. Under the hard constraints of shortage of agricultural resources and serious environmental pollution, ensuring the effective supply and quality safety of agricultural products, improving the competitiveness of agricultural products, and enhancing the ability of agricultural sustainable development are the keys to the construction of high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture. The national policy on organic fertilizer resources has also changed from grain as the key link in comprehensive development to eco-production with equal emphasis on ecology. The development and use of organic fertilizer resources as the best way to control agricultural non-point source pollution has led to the development of ecological agriculture, an important task. During this period, the state has guided the development of the organic fertilizer industry mainly by promoting the resource use of livestock and poultry manure, advocating the use of organic fertilizer by new agricultural business entities, and promoting bio-organic fertilizer. The first purpose is to turn waste into treasure, that is, to rationally use agricultural waste resources to provide a material basis for the development of the organic fertilizer industry, and the second is to take a strong lead, that is, to play the leading role of new agricultural business entities in various regions. The aim is to gradually complete the transition from guidance to active work. The third is to go from point to surface. Bio-organic fertilizer is a high-tech product of modern agriculture. Compared with other types of organic fertilizer, it is odorless and harmless and has higher nutrient content. Its improved characteristics are more easily accepted by farmers. Therefore, promoting the development of the organic fertilizer industry by the bio-organic fertilizer industry is one of the current development directions of the national organic fertilizer policy. The main goal of this stage is to strengthen agricultural non-point source pollution control. While increasing organic fertilizer subsidies, the policy also strengthens farmers’ understanding of organic fertilizer, promotes the use of agricultural waste resources, and maximizes the use of organic fertilizer resources. These are clearly environmental benefits. Since 2016, more specific tasks and requirements have been put forward for the development 13 of the organic fertilizer industry. In 2016, the task of implementing the zero growth of chemical fertilizers and pesticides was first proposed in China. The following year, organic fertilizers to replace chemical fertilizers and the soil pollution prevention and control action plan were launched to promote the green transformation of traditional industries. The goal of replacing chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer has formulated specific implementation plans and programs: to continue to promote the substitution of organic fertilizer for chemical fertilizer in 2018 and to realize negative growth in the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide in 2019. This also shows the rapid development of the organic fertilizer industry in recent years and China's determination to make great efforts to rectify this. It is worth mentioning that the Action Plan for Carrying Out Organic Fertilizer Substitution for Fruits, Vegetables, and Tea for Chemical Fertilizers issued by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2018 further refined the implementation plan for this task in accordance with the national requirements of “one control, two reductions, and three basics,� and fully promoted industrialization of organic fertilizer. 2.3.3 Pesticide reduction Pesticides are an important aid to production and are essential for protecting crops from pests, weeds, and mice. In the past, China's agricultural production was relatively extensive and the related management system was not sound enough. In some areas, the lack of quality and safety of agricultural products caused by the abuse of pesticides appeared. In recent years, as the public has paid more and more attention to the safety of agricultural production, the quality and safety of agricultural products, and the safety of the agricultural ecological environment, decreasing pesticide use has received great attention from governments at all levels. A series of laws, regulations, and policy measures promote the decrease in pesticide use. The national laws, regulations, policies, and measures concerning pesticide use reduction efforts have been summarized in order to provide a reference for industry authorities and plant protection agencies at all levels to implement relevant policies and promote pesticide use reduction work. The Pesticide Management Regulations promulgated on May 8, 1997, are China's first comprehensive and systematic pesticide management regulations, marking the beginning of the legalization of pesticide management in China. These regulations were revised once again by the State Council on February 8, 2017, and came into force on June 1, 2017. The current regulations focus on strengthening management mechanisms, strengthening supervision, and increasing the cost of illegal pesticide production, operation, and use. Among them, Article 32 has relevant provisions on pesticide use reduction work: “The state shall gradually reduce the use of pesticides through measures such as the promotion of biological control, physical control, and advanced pesticide application equipment� and “county-level people's governments shall formulate and organize the implementation of a pesticide reduction plan in this administrative region.� At the same time, the competent agricultural department of the county-level people's government is required to encourage and support the establishment of professional pest control service organizations, guide the use of pesticides, and guide pesticide users to use pesticides in a planned rotation to diminish the resistance of pests. In 2015 and 2016, the State Council of China formulated the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan and the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in accordance with 14 the needs for the prevention and control of water and soil pollution, many of which involve decreasing pesticide use. For example, Article 3 of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan states: “Promote the pilot experience of subsidizing the use of low-toxic and low- residue pesticides, and carry out green prevention and control of crop pests and diseases and unified prevention and control� and “By 2020, the rate of coverage of unified prevention and control of crop pests surpasses 40 percent.� Article 8 of the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan states: “The transfer of rural land transfer shall fulfill the responsibility of soil protection and avoid the deterioration of soil environmental quality caused by predatory agricultural production methods such as excessive fertilization and abuse of pesticides.� Article 19 proposes: “For scientific application of pesticides, promote specialized unified control and green prevention and control of crop diseases and insect pests, [and] promote high-efficiency, low-toxicity, and low-residue pesticides and modern plant protection machinery� and “By 2020, the use of fertilizers and pesticides in major crops across China will achieve zero growth and the utilization rate [of fertilizer] expects to increase to more than 40 percent.� According to the 2015 Central Document No. 1 and the spirit of relevant meetings, China’s Ministry of Agriculture has formulated implementation plans and opinions on pesticide use reduction work in the agricultural industry. Among them, two policy documents have a guiding role for the industry. First is the February 2015 Action Plan for Zero Growth in Pesticide Use by 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) released on February 17. This Plan is important for guiding the decrease in pesticide use across China and promoting agricultural production safety, agricultural product quality safety, and ecological environmental safety. This implementation Plan puts forward the goal of zero growth in pesticide use. The coverage rate of major crop diseases and insect pests and physical prevention and control shall reach 30 percent, the coverage rate of specialized unified prevention and control of pests and diseases shall surpass 40 percent, and the use rate of pesticides shall surpass 40 percent. Second, the Implementation Opinions of the Ministry of Agriculture on Fighting the Fight against Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution was issued on April 10, 2015. The trend of increasing source pollution has been effectively curbed and the “one control, two reductions. and three basics� have been achieved. Among them, the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticide has decreased. The zero-growth action of pesticides has been implemented. The green prevention and control coverage rate of crop diseases and insect pests has reached 30 percent. Above all, the use rate of pesticides has reached 40 percent and the use of pesticides in major crops nationwide has achieved zero growth. 2.3.4 Comprehensive use of straw From 1982 to 1986, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued five No. 1 Documents one after the other. Among them, the Minutes of the National Rural Work Conference (1982) clearly mentioned the treatment of crop straw. Entering the new century, three No. 1 Documents were issued from 2004 to 2006, namely, the Several Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Several Policies on Promoting Farmers' Income Increase (2004), Several Opinions on Several Policies for Further Strengthening Rural Work and Improving Comprehensive Agricultural Production Capacity (2005), and Several Opinions on Promoting the Construction of a New Socialist Countryside (2006), all involving the issue of straw disposal. Combining the content of the four No. 1 Documents on the use of crop straw, 15 we can see that the policy focuses are straw return to the field, straw gasification, and straw feed, and the requirements for straw use are relatively simple. The No. 1 Documents from 2007 to 2010 were Several Opinions on Actively Developing Modern Agriculture and Solidly Promoting the Construction of a New Socialist Countryside (2007), Several Opinions on Effectively Strengthening Agricultural Infrastructure and Further Promoting Agricultural Development to Increase Farmers’ Income (2008), Several Opinions on Promoting the Stable Development of Agriculture in 2009 to Continue to Increase Farmers’ Income (2009), and Several Opinions on Increasing the Overall Planning of Urban and Rural Development and Further Consolidating the Foundation of Agricultural and Rural Development (2010). Policy requirements were made on the issue of straw use, with emphasis on straw returning to the field and the comprehensive use of straw. The No. 1 Documents from 2013 to 2017 were Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Modern Agriculture and Further Enhancing Rural Development Vitality (2013), Several Opinions on Comprehensively Deepening Rural Reform and Accelerating the Promotion of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture (2014), Several Opinions on Strengthening Reform and Innovation and Accelerating the Construction of High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture (2015), and Several Opinions on Deepening the Advancement of Agricultural Supply-Side Structural Reforms and Accelerating the Cultivation of New Driving Forces for Agricultural and Rural Development (2017), all discussing the comprehensive use of straw. The diversified use of straw and straw subsidies have already been placed in an extremely important position. In addition, China has improved the level and quality of the comprehensive use of straw from the legal and regulatory viewpoint. In the Agricultural Law of the People's Republic of China, Recycling Economy Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China, and Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, agricultural producers and related enterprises are encouraged and supported to comprehensively use crop straw to prevent environmental pollution and ecological damage. The Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China further clarifies the main responsibilities of the people's governments at all levels and their agricultural administration and other relevant departments, and the establishment of a straw collection, storage, transportation, and comprehensive use service system should be organized. In addition, the Energy Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China and the Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China clearly specify that the state encourages and supports biomass energy, renewable energy grid-connected power generation, etc., and the state implements a fully guaranteed purchase system for renewable energy power generation and a biomass resource gas and heat access system. 2.3.5 Remediation of plastic film pollution The Chinese government has gradually paid attention to pollution control of agricultural mulch and related documents and policies have been issued one after another. On May 28, 2016, the State Council formulated the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, requiring the introduction of departmental regulations for the recycling of waste agricultural film as soon as possible, revising agricultural film standards, increasing thickness requirements, and studying and formulating standards for degradable agricultural film (State Council, 2016). From January 1, 2019, 16 the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution was officially implemented, which clearly requires strengthening the control of agricultural film use and implementing the legal responsibilities of all entities for recycling waste agricultural film. A penalty once existed. On June 26, 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the State Administration for Market Supervision and Administration jointly issued Opinions on Accelerating the Prevention and Control of Agricultural Film Pollution. This clarifies the overall requirements, system measures, key tasks, and policy guarantees for the prevention and control of mulch film pollution, and is a programmatic document to guide the prevention and control of mulch film pollution in the future. On December 5, 2019, in order to establish and improve the agricultural film management system, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People’s Republic of China, the MARA drafted and formed the Agricultural Film Management Measures (Trial) (Draft for Solicitation of Comments). The public solicits opinions (MARA, 2019). On January 16, 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment formally issued a plastic ban: Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution. The opinions contain several clear requirements for farmland mulch, such as prohibiting production and sales of polyethylene agricultural mulch with less than 0.01 mm. In key mulching areas, the aim is to combine agronomic measures to promote degradable mulch film on a large scale; establish and improve the recycling system of waste agricultural film; promote the cleaning and remediation of residual mulch film on farmland and gradually decrease the amount of residual mulch film on farmland; carry out pilot demonstrations of the recycling and use of waste agricultural film, focusing on the safety and controllability of degradation and the economy of large- scale application; and carry out technical verification and product selection of degradable mulch film (National Development and Reform Commission, 2020). 2.3.6 Water saving in agriculture Agricultural water saving is of great significance and technically feasible. In recent years, both the central government and local governments have paid great attention to and shown great enthusiasm for the promotion of water-saving irrigation technology. Policy measures have been introduced to encourage the adoption of water-saving irrigation technology. From a national perspective, in order to solve the outstanding problems faced by China's water resource management and use, the National Water Resources Comprehensive Plan approved by the State Council in 2010 clarified that the total amount of water consumption in China must be controlled and controlled in the next period of time. Among the specific targets reached, the total water consumption control target in 2020 is within 670 billion cubic meters, the total water consumption control target in 2030 is within 700 billion cubic meters, and the effective use coefficient of farmland irrigation water increases to 0.6. The General Office of the State Council issued in 2012 the National Agricultural Water Conservation Program (2012‒2020) that stated that the effective use coefficient of farmland irrigation water would reach 0.55 or more by 2020. In 2014, the Ministry of Water Resources issued the Notice on Carrying Out the Construction of National High-Efficiency Water-Saving Irrigation Demonstration Counties in the Agricultural Sustainable Development Plan (2015‒2030) jointly issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and eight other 17 departments in 2015. This clearly required implementing red-line management of water resources, promoting water-saving irrigation, and developing rainfed agriculture. By 2020, national agricultural irrigation water consumption was to be maintained at 372 billion cubic meters, the effective use coefficient of farmland irrigation water would reach 0.55, and the development of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation area would reach 19.2 million hectares. By 2030, the farmland water-saving irrigation rate will reach 75 percent. The 2015 No. 1 Document proposes to vigorously promote water-saving technologies and fully implement regional large-scale and high- efficiency water-saving irrigation actions. In 2016, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued Several Opinions on Implementing New Development Concepts and Accelerating High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agriculture to Achieve a Comprehensive Well-Off Goal and emphasized the large- scale promotion of farmland water conservancy construction. The aim was to actively promote the construction of connecting rivers, lakes, and reservoirs; optimize the spatial pattern of water resources; and increase water environment capacity. The aim was also to speed up the construction of large- and medium-sized irrigation districts and the continued construction of supporting facilities, water-saving transformation, and the renovation and transformation of large-scale irrigation and drainage pumping stations. Another aim was to improve small-scale farmland water conservancy facilities and strengthen the dredging and remediation of rural river ponds and “five small water conservancy� facilities in hilly areas, thus supporting field canal systems, rainwater collection and use, and water-saving irrigation forage land in pastoral areas. The policy also aimed to vigorously carry out regional large-scale and efficient water-saving irrigation actions and actively promote advanced and applicable water-saving irrigation technologies. It also continued to implement the control of small and medium rivers and the prevention and control of mountain torrents and geological disasters. It aimed to expand the scale and scope of development finance to support the construction of water conservancy projects. It sought to steadily advance the comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices, implement total agricultural water use control and quota management, rationally determine agricultural water prices, establish water-saving incentives and precise subsidy mechanisms, and improve agricultural water-use efficiency. It also aimed to improve the initial allocation system of water rights and cultivate water rights trading markets. It sought to deepen the reform of the property rights system of small farmland water conservancy projects and innovate the operational management and protection mechanism. It also sought to encourage social capital to participate in the construction and management of small farmland water conservancy projects. In 2016, the Regulations on Farmland Water Conservancy clarified the basic principles of farmland water conservancy work, established a farmland water conservancy planning system, strengthened the construction and management of farmland water conservancy projects, and improved the operation and maintenance mechanism of farmland water conservancy projects. These regulations also aimed to standardize farmland irrigation and drainage management, and stipulate safeguard and support measures. It is clearly stipulated that the state encourages units and individuals to invest in the construction of water-saving irrigation facilities and adopt financial subsidies to encourage the purchase of water-saving irrigation equipment. In 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued their Opinions on Promoting the Development of Water Conservation Service Industry by Implementing Contracted Water 18 Conservation Management. In terms of water-saving irrigation in colleges and universities, the aim was to encourage the use of contract water-saving management models, introduce social capital, promote advanced technologies, and implement a water-saving service provider model. Promoting contracted water-saving management is conducive to diminishing the water-saving risks of water users and improving water-saving enthusiasm. The No. 1 Document of 2017 emphasizes the direction and strategy of agricultural water saving and requires further improvement in the relevant policy system for the development of water-saving agriculture for a wide range of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation technologies such as sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, and water and fertilizer integration. Popularization creates good conditions. 3. Technical Model of China's High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development The sustainable development of agriculture is the sustainable development of resources and the environment. To promote the sustainable development of agriculture, it is necessary to conserve resources and protect the ecological environment. At this stage, China faces the important tasks and challenges of advancing the construction of high-efficiency and low-carbon agriculture, appropriately increasing the use of agricultural resources, and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture. Improving the level of agricultural mechanization, implementing the five major actions of agricultural green development, and strengthening the construction of a digital technology system for agricultural green development are highly significant to the realization of these tasks. Therefore, this study systematically explains how China's green agricultural development can improve the use efficiency of natural resources in several aspects: agricultural mechanization, high-yield technology, digital agriculture and smart agricultural technology, fertilizer and pesticide application reduction technology, and water-efficient and water-saving technology for farmland irrigation. 3.1 High-Yield Technology of Agricultural Mechanization 3.1.1 Sub-soiling Sub-soiling operations represent a land cultivation technology that replaces traditional tillage. By loosening the soil, breaking the plow bottom, and deepening the tillage layer, the water permeability, air permeability, and aggregate structure of the soil are improved so that rainwater can more easily penetrate into the soil, which is beneficial to the development of crop roots and improving the ability of water storage and moisture retention. Research on foreign subsoil technology and machinery began in the 1950s and the subsoil technology of Western regions such as Europe and the United States has formed a relatively complete system. Larson and Clyma (1995) proposed the use of electroosmosis technology to diminish the resistance of the sub-soiling shovel, 19 which can decrease tillage resistance by 11 percent in clay, maximum tillage resistance by 39 percent, and energy consumption by about 32 percent. Domestic research on sub-soiling theory began in the 1970s and gradually formed China's subsoil cultivation method. In 2004, Professor Tong Jin from Jilin University invented the bionic drag reduction deep-loosening shovel and achieved good drag reduction effects. Experiments conducted by the National Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Science in low- and medium-yield fields show that a mechanized sub-soiling field has a significant increase in yield compared with a control field without sub-soiling (Luo Xi-wen et al., 2016). 3.1.2 Laser leveling The surface flatness of farmland directly affects irrigation efficiency and effectiveness. The irrigation water wastage rate due to uneven surface of farmland exceeds 20 percent, which also affects crop production. China Agricultural University has successfully developed a dryland laser grader. Its laser transmitter and platform integrate a JP3 laser leveler, which can form a laser plane with a slope. Rice production in China has always required no water in the field. The traditional methods such as manual leveling, animal leveling, tractor leveling, and tiller leveling are mainly based on visual observation and experience. After leveling, the height difference is still more than 10 cm and the height difference is proportional to the area of the field. To obtain precise leveling of paddy fields, South China Agricultural University successfully developed the 1PJ series of paddy field laser levelers and the appraisal concluded: “the world's leading level in the field of paddy field leveling technology and machinery.� Laser graders are now mainly matched with Dongfanghong 254 tractors, Kubota 704 tractors, Shanghai 50 tractors, and Lovol 504 tractors. Since 2006, this technology has been promoted and applied in 16 provinces and cities in China. The results show that the leveling accuracy of the paddy field laser leveler can reach 3 cm, which saves irrigation water and increases rice output. The economic and social benefits are significant (Hu Lian et al., 2014). 3.1.3 Precise seeding China's maize planting area has continued to expand and maize has become the largest food crop. The precise sowing of maize can save 40‒45 kg per hectare of seeds and can also save or completely eliminate the time of thinning; ensure that the crops are full and strong, with reasonable nutrition, strong individual growth, and balanced population growth; and lead to a significant yield increase, the prerequisite for a bumper harvest. Generally speaking, pneumatic maize planters were developed late in China; most are imported or modified from abroad and are suitable only for small areas of operation. Therefore, the development of advanced and applicable maize precision seeding technology and the improvement of the agronomic measures that support it are important directions for the development of current maize production. The 2BS-2 precision maize planter developed by Jilin University of Technology basically carries out single seeding (Feng Xiaojing et al., 2010; Ma Xu et al., 1998). The pyramid-shaped hole-seeding component developed by Heilongjiang Bayi Land Reclamation University has a bench test cavity rate of 1.67 percent, a reseeding rate of 4.67 percent, and a single seed rate of 93.67 percent (Tian Jiahai et al., 1995). The 2FBJD-2 maize semi-precision sowing and filming machine developed by Northwest A&F University, the 2B cm-6 stubble field no-tillage semi-precision 20 planter in Xinjiang, and the 2BML-2 (Z)-type no-tillage precision planter developed by China Agricultural University are relatively advanced maize precision planters in China at present (Wang Weixin et al., 2001). 3.1.4 The development of combine harvesters for large-scale farming Wheat harvesters with a feeding capacity of 7 kg and 8 kg have gradually become mainstream products. The wheat harvester has entered a mature period of technology, products, and services, with excellent product quality, large feed volume, high harvesting efficiency, and high social market retention rate, and it has played an important role in the realization of the whole process of mechanization of China's wheat (Figure 3.1). Among the self-propelled maize harvesters, the output of the four-row ear-picking maize harvester accounted for 56 percent, breaking through the technical bottleneck of key equipment in the maize harvesting link, significantly decreasing harvesting kernel loss rate, and greatly improving work efficiency. The number of rice harvesters has increased significantly and the output of 5-kg rice harvesters accounted for 72.86 percent of the total output, becoming the main force in the market. The longitudinal axis-flow crawler rice harvester can harvest wheat while harvesting rice. It can also harvest maize by changing the header. The cost-effectiveness of this product is greatly improved and the purpose of one machine becomes multi-purpose. Figure 3.1. Large-Scale Combine Harvester 3.2 Digital Agriculture and Smart Agricultural Technology Digital agriculture refers to the organic integration of high technology such as remote sensing, geographic information system, global positioning system, computer technology, communication and network technology, and automation technology with basic disciplines such as geography, agronomy, ecology, plant physiology, and soil science. The aim is to carry out real-time monitoring of crops and soil from macro to micro in the process of agricultural production so as to achieve regular acquisition of information on crop growth, development status, pests and diseases, water and fertilizer status, and the corresponding environment, and to generate a dynamic spatial information system for agricultural production. Digital agriculture is modern agriculture that uses 21 information as an element of agricultural production and uses modern information technology to visually express, digitally design, and informatize agricultural objects, the environment, and the entire process. Digital agriculture enables the effective integration of IT and all aspects of agriculture, which is of great significance to the transformation of traditional agriculture and the transformation of agricultural production methods. Digital agriculture uses IT and digital means in the integration and use of agricultural production, circulation, and operations to achieve the rational use of agricultural resources, diminish production costs, improve the ecological environment, improve crop products and quality, and increase the value and added value of agricultural products. Brand influence in the market, using array methods to expand the marketing capabilities of agricultural products, decreasing market operating costs, enhancing the premium capabilities of agricultural products, and using informatization and digital methods to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products are the goals. Smart agriculture is the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to traditional agriculture and using sensors and software to control agricultural production through mobile or computer platforms, thus making traditional agriculture “smarter.� In addition to precise perception, control, and decision-making management, in a broad sense, smart agriculture includes agricultural e-commerce, food traceability and anti-counterfeiting, agricultural leisure tourism, agricultural information services, and other aspects. Smart agriculture makes full use of the achievements of modern IT, integrated application of computer and network technology, IoT technology, audio and video technology, 3S technology, wireless communication technology, and expert wisdom and knowledge to realize agricultural visualized remote diagnosis, remote control, disaster warning, and other smart management actions. At the same time, smart agriculture is an advanced stage of agricultural production. It integrates emerging Internet, mobile Internet, cloud computing, and IoT technologies. It relies on various sensor nodes (environmental temperature and humidity, soil moisture, carbon dioxide, etc.) deployed at agricultural production sites (images, etc.) and wireless communication networks to achieve smart perception, smart early warning, smart decision-making, smart analysis, and expert online guidance of the agricultural production environment, thus providing accurate planting, visual management, and smart decision-making for agricultural production. Smart agriculture is also the comprehensive application of cloud computing, sensor networks, and 3S and other ITs in agriculture, thus achieving more complete informatization basic support, more thorough perception of agricultural information, more concentrated data resources, and more extensive interconnection, deeper smart control, and more personal public services. The integration of smart agriculture with modern biotechnology, planting technology, and other science and technology is of great significance to the construction of world-class agriculture. 3.2.1 Construction of agricultural data information resources Agriculture and rural areas are one of the important areas for the generation and application of big data. The concept of big data and the ideas, methods, and technologies of data processing are expanded and applied in agriculture. These products and services provide new technical methods. The construction of agricultural data information resources is the basis for realizing digital agriculture. Agricultural data information is mainly obtained through technical means such as production environment collection, GPS sampling, smart agricultural machinery operations, and agricultural remote sensing. At present, China has carried out detailed investigations on land 22 resources, water resources, climate resources, crop quality resources, etc., and established different information resource databases, including databases on agricultural science and technology information, agricultural science and technology achievements, land resource abstracts, crop species, livestock and poultry breed resources, agricultural product market trade price quotations, agricultural cooperative economics, national agricultural economic statistics, etc. Agricultural big data have been widely used in agricultural breeding, production and breeding, agrometeorological forecasting, market management, and agricultural product traceability, and related agricultural big data platforms have also been put into use. 3.2.2 Space-Ground Integrated Network (SGIN) digital technology and environmental standards for green production areas Aerospace remote sensing (sky), aviation remote sensing (air), and ground Internet of Things (ground) technology are used to build an integrated agricultural smart-sensing technology system for the sky and ground, and to accurately perceive the amount of land, spatial locations, and geographic environment. Information acquisition to solve the basic problem of “where do the data come from?� integrates the sky and ground remote-sensing big data, the standard model of the production area environment, image and video recognition, deep learning and data mining, and other methods to build a monitoring project for crop growth, diseases and insect pests, water and fertilizer, yield, etc. Some models and algorithms realize rapid monitoring and diagnosis of green production and solve the key problem of “how to use data�; combine automatic control, sensors, agricultural machinery and equipment, etc.; and use data to empower operational equipment and realize accurate and unmanned operation of orchard production. This is done to solve the important problem of “how to serve data.� Focusing on the problem of integrated data integration between the sky and the ground; conducting research on cross-platform communication, transmission, and data link technologies such as spaceborne, airborne, vehicle-mounted, and handheld terminals; and breaking through the registration, fusion, and interoperability of multi-platform data are essential. Three- dimensional, multi-scale, and continuous acquisition of time and space for the core parameters of green development is necessary. Remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and other 3S technologies are the core technologies of digital agriculture. 3S technology is the integration of RS, GIS, and GPS. Only one of these technologies by itself cannot meet the needs of digital agriculture; the three must be organically combined. RS is an important data source and powerful data update method of GIS. As an effective technology for spatial data management and analysis, GIS can provide RS with various useful auxiliary information and analysis methods. GPS is RS and GIS. The spatial data processed in the system provide a means of obtaining and positioning accurate spatial coordinates, and can be used as a data source to provide relevant data for GIS. The three have developed into an indivisible whole and they mutually infiltrate and complement each other. 3S technology is widely used in crop yield estimation, growth monitoring, meteorological and pest forecasting, fine fertilization, irrigation, and other fields. At present, 3S integrated technology has been used to monitor planting area, growth, yield, growth environment, and other aspects of rice, maize, wheat, soybean, cotton, rape, sugarcane, etc., and can locate and obtain relevant information on a regular basis. Sowing, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, and other measures 23 regulate the agricultural production process to achieve the goal of high yield and high quality. 3.2.3 Agricultural model technology As the foundation and core of realizing the functions and goals of digital agriculture, agricultural model technology can carry out experiments that cannot be carried out in traditional agriculture without being restricted by the time and space of agriculture itself, can quickly and efficiently explore agriculture-related issues, and can make quantitative predictions for actual production. Its application provides a scientific basis. Agricultural models include agricultural plant models, agricultural animal models, agricultural microbial models, agricultural product storage and processing models, agricultural economic management models, etc. Agricultural plant models and agricultural animal models are mainly aimed at the fields of animal and plant breeding and cultivation. Agricultural microbial models are mainly aimed at the fields of plant protection or animal disease prevention and environmental pollution control. Agricultural product storage and processing models and agricultural management models are mainly aimed at the storage and processing of agricultural products, agricultural economics and management, and other fields. At present, much research is carried out on agricultural plant models. For example, domestic growth simulation models and production management decision-making systems have been established for wheat, rice, maize, and major greenhouse crops, along with agricultural animal models, agricultural microbial models, and agricultural product storage and processing models. Some progress has been made in management models, but empirical models are still the mainstay. 3.2.4 Smart agricultural equipment Smart agricultural equipment is the general term for hardware equipment or software and hardware integrated systems that have smart behavior through the use of information science and technology principles, and is a key support for digital agriculture. China's smart equipment technology has achieved rapid development and a relatively sound agricultural equipment manufacturing system has been formed. The aim is to meet the needs of agricultural production for equipment and technology in digital design and manufacturing, smart monitoring, and other common key technologies, as well as tractors, tillage and planting machinery, field plant protection machinery, harvesting machinery, agricultural production area processing equipment, and other major and key link equipment. Significant progress has been made in this regard and the overall technical level is close to the international advanced level. For example, in the field of smart planting equipment, laser levelers, variable fertilizer planters, precision spraying equipment, combine harvester production measuring devices, agricultural machinery navigation and automatic driving systems, crop monitoring systems, farmland data mobile collection systems, etc., actual production has been carried out. Good results have been obtained. Smart equipment for livestock and poultry breeding is mainly in the field of livestock and poultry environmental control systems and precision feeding of livestock and poultry. 24 3.2.5 Highly sensitive, reliable, maintenance-free, low-power agricultural sensors Highly sensitive, reliable, maintenance-free, and low-power agricultural sensors can achieve accurate soil nutrient measurement, real-time crop nutrient diagnosis, and fine-grained agricultural environmental monitoring, thus making agricultural production greener and smarter. Smart agricultural machinery sensors carry out real-time and accurate tracking and monitoring of operating links by sensing operating parameters such as machinery operating position, operating time, and workload. Through smart and unmanned agricultural machinery operations, operating efficiency is effectively improved. Agricultural drone RS sensors mainly use drones equipped with smart sensors such as RGB cameras, thermal infrared cameras, multispectral cameras, and hyperspectral imagers, combined with advanced unmanned flight control technology, GPS differential positioning technology, RS sensor technology, wireless communication remote control technology, and wireless image return technology, etc. The goal is to carry out automatic and smart rapid acquisition of space RS information, and complete RS data processing, modeling, and application analysis, which can effectively help users complete time-consuming and laborious tasks and provide accurate decision management. The animal life information sensor can obtain real-time monitoring and perception of animal identity information, nutrient information, physiological information, disease detection, and other information, which is helpful in realizing automatic management, automatic feeding, and early warning and forecast of the whole process of livestock and poultry breeding, and in effectively promoting livestock. Fine management of poultry breeding improves production efficiency and promotes high-yield, high-quality, high-efficiency, ecological, green, and safe production of modern agriculture. 3.2.6 Integration of agricultural green digital technology and 5G With the development of big data, cloud computing, and 5G technology, we will further build a unified and open modern agricultural green data center; carry out data resource sharing and smart early-warning analysis; strengthen the integration of agricultural green digital technology, agricultural big data foundation, and 5G; and improve agricultural management service capacity and the scientific decision-making level in rural areas. First, big data technology is the basis for the application of 5G technology. This is done through big data collection technology, storage and management technology, standardization technology, cleaning processing technology, online cloud computing technology, smart analysis technology, spatiotemporal visualization technology, and other technologies in the field of modern agriculture. The aim is to promote the integration of agricultural green data resources, effectively realize the upgrading and transformation of traditional agricultural production management models, modernize agricultural production equipment, improve the efficiency of the agricultural industry, optimize the allocation of agricultural elements, diminish agricultural production costs, optimize the matching of agricultural products and marketing, and improve agricultural management efficiency, which has given birth to new forms of green agriculture. Second, 5G (5th generation) is the name for the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks. Its main advantages are a higher data transmission rate and lower network delay. The increase in data transmission rate permits the uploading of large data files. In addition, 5G effectively shortens the transmission time of agricultural data resources and 25 improves the overall efficiency of agricultural green production. The decrease in network delay, on the one hand, can effectively assist in the operational control of various agricultural machinery and equipment, improve the accuracy of agricultural management, and improve the use efficiency of agricultural machinery. On the other hand, this can improve the safety of operations in the production process, avoid the danger of operators being exposed to pesticides, and promote the green, high-quality, efficient, and sustainable development of modern agriculture. 3.2.7 Standardization and smartization of agricultural green production technology It is suggested to apply new-generation digital technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing to green inputs (variety, fertilizer); planting systems; optimized management of water, fertilizer, and medicine; and the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy to achieve regional technical standardization and implementation precision. The aim is to achieve technical system integration and installation innovation. This work involves the following fields. First is the smart standardization of agricultural green production farming-planting- management-harvesting links, using smart sensing and control technology, agricultural big data and cognitive computing technology, crop precision smart production technology, smart agricultural machinery and equipment key technology, smart farms and plant factories, and other technologies. The key to tapping technical efficiency and potential in the whole process and multi-interface application is the effective integration of digital technology and key technologies in the green production process to build a digital and smart green agricultural production technical specification and standard system. Second is agricultural smart integration of the entire production process by constructing smart production technology for precision agriculture, smart farms, and unmanned agricultural factories, etc., to solve the current problems of unmatched individual technologies in agricultural production and low overall efficiency. Third is the productization and equipmentization of green technology for small farmers and large-scale new business entities by developing and applying smart software such as SQAPP and S4FAPP and integrating soil health management, input limit indicators, key production technology guidance, agricultural product quality evaluation, etc., to realize the standardization and smartization of agricultural green production technology. 3.2.8 A transparent traceability system for the full industry chain of agricultural products Relying on modern information methods such as the Internet, the Internet of Things, and the Internet of Intelligence, we will vigorously promote the application of digital technology in different stages of the agricultural industry chain before, during, and after delivery, and accelerate the digital transformation of production, operations, and management services. (1) In the pre-production stage of breeding, big data, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies are combined to build a breeding and plant production management system, a breeding IoT integrated application service platform, and the integration of IoT technology and modern IT for the full process of breeding and plant management. Data monitoring is used for management and services to improve the level of 26 breeding informatization technology and modern management. (2) In the production stage, the application of agricultural smart equipment, unmanned RS aircraft, and other equipment in field production is strengthened, and quantitative and accurate field planting is carried out through agricultural smart monitoring, smart spraying, smart fertilization, and smart surveying and intelligence. The application of IoT technology and facility agricultural robots in facility agriculture are strengthened through smart monitoring, data collection, remote transmission, smart analysis, and automatic control of IoT technology. The full agricultural production process is monitored and managed through multiple functional operational robots, transportation robots, inspection robots, and other facility agricultural robots that carry out standardized production, smart management, and labor-saving operations of facility agricultural production. (3) In the post-production circulation stage, the use of barcode technology, machine vision technology, blockchain technology, etc., is strengthened in the traceability process for green products, along with accurately recording the production subject, certification type, location of origin, production history, and harvest packaging through barcode technology. The feature information of agricultural products can contain one-code identification, one-code anti-counterfeiting, one-code traceability, and one-code supervision of the entire industry chain, including “origin-product-producer.� Machine vision technology is used to effectively judge the appearance and quality of agricultural products and to complete automatic classification, which effectively replaces the identification by people, thus greatly improving processing efficiency. It also realizes the sharing of transaction records through blockchain technology and guarantees that records cannot be tampered with, solves transaction fraud and property rights disputes, and builds more trustworthy and safe modern agricultural production. The system minimizes the information asymmetry between producers and consumers and enhances consumers’ confidence in food safety. 3.3 New Technologies 3.3.1 New technologies for improving the use of chemical fertilizer in China （1）Soil testing and formula fertilization Agricultural departments have formulated and issued more than 20,000 fertilizer formulas, issued more than 900 million fertilization recommendation cards, promoted enterprises to produce formula fertilizer according to the prescription, and guided farmers to fertilize reasonably according to the fertilization recommendation cards. The advancement of deep mechanical application, seed fertilizer simultaneous sowing, and mechanical topdressing has accelerated. In 2020, the national soil testing and formula fertilization technology application area exceeded 128 million hectares and the technology coverage rate reached 89.3 percent (Figure 3.2). Formula fertilizer has accounted for more than 60 percent of the total fertilization of the three major food crops. 27 Figure 3.2. Demonstration of Soil Testing and Formula Fertilization （2）Side deep placement of fertilizer in rice production Nitrogen fertilizer plays an important role in rice production and can contribute up to 40 percent of rice yield. However, excessive application of N fertilizer is common in rice production in China. According to statistics, the average amount of nitrogen fertilizer used in rice production in China is 180 kg per hectare and the amount of N fertilizer used in some high-yield fields in the Taihu Lake Basin of Jiangsu Province is even as high as 300 kg per hectare (Peng Shao-bing et al., 2002; Huang Jin-bao et al., 2007). Excessive application of N fertilizer leads to a decrease in fertilizer-use rate. The use rate of N fertilizer in rice production in China is only 30 to 35 percent, which is far lower than the world average and even lower than that in countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. The problems of excessive N fertilizer and unreasonable applications of nutrient-use rate and agricultural non-point source pollution have also received more and more attention. The vast majority of rice production in China has always used manual hand-spreading or electric fertilizer spreaders for surface application. This fertilization method often results in a waste of fertilizer and the hand-spread fertilizer is quite unevenly distributed in the field, which causes large differences in rice growth in the area, thereby affecting rice yield. At the same time, the fertilizer that is hand-spread on the ground will be dissolved in the water and flow into the river together with the loss of irrigation water, thus causing serious pollution in the water system around the paddy field. It is difficult to precisely control fertilization depth and the amount of fertilization per unit area, resulting in low planting efficiency and environmental pollution. Side deep placement of fertilizer in rice production has changed the traditional artificial hand- spreading mode of chemical fertilizer. Fertilizer can be applied near the roots of rice seedlings and cover the soil, which is conducive to the absorption of fertilizer by the rice roots, and this can maximize the use rate of fertilizer. Also, the amount of fertilization is less than in traditional 28 fertilization methods, which diminishes the pollution of chemical fertilizer in the water system around the paddy field. The use of side deep placement of fertilizer is of great significance for saving fertilizer, improving rice yield, promoting efficiency, and increasing farmers’ income. （3）Fertigation technology Fertigation technology is a new agricultural technology that combines irrigation and fertilization simultaneously. It comprehensively regulates and manages farmland water and nutrients according to crop needs, uses water to promote fertilizer, uses fertilizer to adjust water, realizes water and fertilizer coupling, and comprehensively promotes water and fertilizer use efficiency. Since implementing the National Grain High-Yield Science and Technology Project, fertigation technology in different regions of China has continued to develop, especially with innovative research on drip irrigation technology, which has achieved considerable development and progress. China’s fertigation technology is mainly divided into the following types (Zhao Ming et al., 2020). 1. Maize planting techniques with shallow-buried and drip irrigation in the west of Northeast China Drip irrigation under mulch in the west of Northeast China has problems such as labor- consuming, time-consuming, and uneven emergence and difficulty in recovering residual film. The Inner Mongolia Agricultural Technology Extension Station and other institutes have conducted research on maize shallow-buried and drip irrigation to increase efficiency. Under the premise of no mulching conditions, farmers could use the wide and narrow row planting mode, generally 35‒40- cm narrow rows and 80‒85-cm wide rows, burying the drip irrigation tape in the middle of the narrow row 2‒4 cm deep, and using shallow-buried drip irrigation for special seeding. The use of agricultural machines could complete the work of sowing, fertilizing, spreading, and covering soil simultaneously. This planting technology has the characteristics of saving costs and increasing efficiency and improving planting quality. This technology has been widely applied in the west of Northeast China and achieved the goal of saving 1,890 square meters per hectare of water, increasing fertilizer productivity by 20.9 percent, decreasing fertilizer use by 17.3 percent, and diminishing the cost of using mulch film by CNY 750 per hectare (Zhao Ming et al., 2020). On this basis, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University and other institutes established the integrated technology of secondary straw crushing, deep turning, and returning to the field combined with shallow drip irrigation and fertigation. Maize yield in the Liangfeng Project area exceeded 16,500 kg per hectare and maize yield increased 14.9 percent compared with the previous yield. Also, water and fertilizer production efficiency rose by 26 percent. 2. Precision drip irrigation with fertigation technology in Huang-huai-hai plain On the basis of conventional drip irrigation, precision drip irrigation with fertigation technology in Huang-huai-hai plain is integrated with smart control technology and forms a smart monitoring system for drip irrigation water and fertilizer. The cloud platform is used to scientifically determine the water and fertilizer requirements for crop growth under different environmental conditions, and to carry out real-time monitoring and precise control of field water and fertilizer indicators. The Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other institutes have set up 3.33 hectares of key fields in the core area of Wenxian County of the Liangfeng Project. The water and fertilizer use efficiency have increased by 7 to 9 percent and winter wheat yield has reached 11,028 kg per hectare (Zhao Ming et al., 2020). 29 3. Production-increasing technology of drip irrigation under mulch in Northwest China On the basis of drip irrigation technology and film mulching planting technology, production- increasing technology of drip irrigation under mulch in Northwest China combines the two. It supplies pressurized water to drip irrigation tape or capillary through a controllable piping system, applies water-soluble fertilizer quantitatively, and fully merges to form an aqueous fertilizer solution, which enters the main pipe-branch pipe-capillary pipe. Then, the dripper on the capillary will evenly, regularly, and quantitatively infiltrate the crop root development area drop by drop for root absorption and use. Compared with furrow irrigation, the maize yield-increasing technology of drip irrigation can save more than 30 percent of water and increase the use rate of water and fertilizer by more than 30 percent. Maize yield can be increased by 30 percent compared with conventional production in the same area and income can be increased by 50 percent. Large-scale applications can achieve a significant increase in both production and income. 4. Integrated fertigation technology of supplemental irrigation of rainwater harvesting in Southwest China Farmers in Southwest China could excavate rainwater-collecting ditches and construct rainwater-collecting surfaces. The use of drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler irrigation technology could be combined with the application of water-soluble fertilizer to achieve high-efficiency fertigation technology of supplementary irrigation of rainwater harvesting. Experimental demonstrations show that the use of integrated fertigation technology of supplemental irrigation of rainwater harvesting increases the yield of grain crops by 10 to 15 percent on average and saves more than 20 percent in industrial crops. Applicable areas are areas with severe seasonal droughts, where precipitation is high but unevenly distributed in time and space, mainly including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. （4）Build an efficient service model Innovative services promote decreasing chemical fertilizer application and enhancing efficiency. It is suggested to adopt the method of government procurement of services, vigorously develop professional service organizations, and carry out the “four unification� services: unified measurement, unified allocation, unified supply, and unified implementation. Hubei Province supports large farmers, cooperatives, and service organizations in the establishment of more than 700 smart fertilizer distribution stations and liquid fertilizer stations to provide farmers with on-site fertilizer distribution services according to prescriptions. Information guidance promotes decreasing chemical fertilizer application and enhancing efficiency. It is suggested to make full use of the massive data accumulated in the soil testing and formula fertilization project and use the Internet and IoT as well as mobile phones to carry out information inquiries on soil nutrients, fertilization plans, and fertilizer prices. Relying on the county-level soil testing and formula fertilization expert system, Mingguang City in Anhui Province has achieved one-click fertilizer ordering through a mobile app, thus creating a new model of private ordering of fertilizer. Financial services promoted decreasing chemical fertilizer application and enhancing efficiency. It is suggested to actively innovate financial support for agriculture, leverage policy- based financial capital investment, guide commercial operating capital to enter, and jointly promote 30 zero-growth action of chemical fertilizer use. Guangdong Province implemented the national World Bank-financed agricultural non-point source pollution control project and used World Bank funds of 234 million yuan to promote fertilizer reduction and efficiency enhancement technologies in 28 counties (cities, districts). Agri-enterprise cooperation promotes decreasing chemical fertilizer application and enhancing efficiency. A total of more than 200 companies across China have been selected to carry out agri- enterprise cooperation to promote formula fertilizer service activities. The Department of Crop Cultivation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs cooperated with the Sinochem Modern Agriculture Department to establish 17 demonstration bases for fertilizer reduction technology services across China. This cooperation guided Jinzhengda to set up an agricultural service platform, Jinfeng Commune, and build 103 comprehensive agricultural service centers in Shandong, Liaoning, and other provinces to provide farmers with full technical services. 3.3.2 New technologies for improving the use of pesticide in China （1）UAV spraying technology The UAV sprays pesticide in the air at specific points and the powerful airflow generated by the rotor directly sprays the liquid on all levels of the crops. The pesticide can go deep into the roots of crops and both sides of the leaves with the airflow. The key to achieving precise pesticide spraying with the UAV is to achieve real-time communication and control with the ground monitoring center during drone operations (Zhu Zu-wu, 2018). At present, civilian UAVs can be divided into fuel-fueled UAVs and electric UAVs according to the power source. Or, according to the configuration of the flight platform, civilian UAVs can be divided into single-rotor UAVs, multi-rotor UAVs, and fixed-wing UAVs. The UAVs currently used in precision agriculture are mainly an electric multi-rotor UAV and oil-powered single-rotor UAV. Among them, the advantages of the oil-powered single-rotor UAV are that the load is larger (up to 30 kg) and the flight time is longer, as a single flight time can surpass 30 minutes. Compared with multi-rotor UAVs, oil-powered single-rotor UAVs have a larger down-pressure wind field, are stronger, and have less turbulence, and are superior to multi-rotor UAVs in terms of droplet penetration and spraying effect. The shortcomings are that the mechanical structure is relatively complicated, the flight control system is difficult to debug, operation is difficult (resulting in a high threshold for use and maintenance), the engine life is short (only a few hundred hours), and the price and maintenance costs are high. Compared with the oil-powered single-rotor UAV, the mechanical structure of the electric multi-rotor UAV is simpler and easier to control. The flight control system is mature, the debugging is convenient, the mechanical maintenance is convenient, and the price is low. However, the load capacity of the electric multi-rotor UAV is relatively weak, the single operation time is short (about 10 minutes), and the number of battery cycles is more minor, only about 100 times (Liang Sheng-kai et al., 2021). （2）Strengthen the management of high-toxic and high-risk pesticides First, it is suggested to formulate prohibition and restriction measures for highly toxic and high- risk pesticides. China has implemented prohibitive measures against 41 of these pesticides. The 10 highly toxic pesticides still in use in the field shall be strictly restricted and shall not be used to 31 produce vegetables, fruits, tea, fungi, and Chinese herbal medicines. Second, it is suggested to implement designated operations for highly toxic and high-risk pesticides. It is important to strictly follow the Pesticide Management Regulations, formulate a list of restricted pesticides, carry out designated operations for highly toxic and high-risk pesticides, and require special counter sales, real-name purchases, purchase and sales accounts, and traceability management to achieve full supervision from production and circulation to use. At the same time, it is prohibited to operate and sell highly toxic pesticides through the Internet. Third, it is suggested to accelerate the elimination of highly toxic pesticides based on their risk and the production and use of alternative products. （3）Increase the use and promotion of low-toxic biological pesticides In view of the high cost of using biological pesticides and the long period for farmers to recognize their benefit, the agricultural bureau has adopted some policy measures to speed up the demonstration and promotion of biological pesticides. One is to implement financial subsidies. Special funds are arranged every year to support investigations on the use of low-toxicity and biological pesticides, technical guidance on safe medication, and the testing, development, demonstration, and promotion of new comprehensive prevention and control technologies. Another is to strengthen demonstrations. It is suggested to promote cooperation between plant protection institutions and pesticide manufacturers, jointly build professional integrated prevention and control and green prevention, and control integration demonstration bases. It is important to integrate and promote the green prevention and control technology model of pests and diseases in different regions and different crops, and display the use of high-efficiency, low-toxicity, and biological pesticides. This will effectively speed up the promotion of green prevention and control technologies such as biological pesticides. Third is to strengthen technical training. It is suggested to carry out “Scientific Pesticide Training Action for Key Farmers in Hundreds of Counties,� focusing on new agricultural business entities and specialized service organizations for pest control, training key business personnel, publicizing and providing training on bio-pesticide technology, and improving users’ awareness of bio-pesticides, along with the level of scientific and safe use. （4）Promote the intelligentization of pest monitoring and early warning Relying on the new round of animal and plant protection capacity improvement projects and making full use of the pest control funds arranged by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the local government should actively seek local financial support, update testing equipment, and improve the level of intelligence, automation, and informatization of pest monitoring and early warning. Sichuan Province added 177 sets of automatic detection equipment for sex attraction to 60 regional stations and built 3 sets of remote monitoring systems for the Internet of Things. Henan Province has updated the insect situation forecasting lights and spore capture devices for 65 regional stations and built 4 sets of remote monitoring systems for the IoT. Chongqing City has released information on diseases and insect pests to large growers through mobile phone text messages and the coverage rate has reached 50 percent. Also, it is suggested to improve and upgrade the national monitoring and early-warning system for major crop diseases and insect pests, and release the forecast and early-warning information on diseases and insect pests through TV forecasts, mobile phone SMS, WeChat, etc., so as to achieve early detection and early control. （5）Recycling of pesticide packaging waste 32 In recent years, the MARA and other relevant departments have carried out surveys on the recycling and disposal of pesticide packaging waste and carried out pilot projects for the recycling of pesticide packaging waste through Sino-German cooperation projects, and actively explored the establishment of “recycling by market entities, disposal by professional institutions, and public financial support.� Pesticide packaging waste recycling and a centralized disposal system are the main model. At the same time, in conjunction with the former Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Administrative Measures for Recycling and Disposal of Pesticide Packaging Waste were formulated to delineate the responsibilities of departments, pesticide producers, and operators of disposal agencies in the recycling and treatment of pesticide packaging waste. It is suggested to stipulate pesticide packaging requirements for waste collection, storage, transportation, and disposal; encourage local governments to support the establishment of specialized recycling and treatment agencies; and encourage pesticide producers and operators to cooperate with specialized waste recycling agencies (Figure 3.3). Figure 3.3. The Recycling Station for Pesticide Packaging Waste 3.4 High-Efficiency and Farmland Water-Saving Irrigation Technology Water shortage is an important factor restricting the development of agriculture in China. China urgently needs to solve the problem of insufficient water saving in agriculture. Accurately grasping the height of the field water layer and the soil moisture content and realizing precise irrigation are important prerequisites and effective measures for the rational use of water resources, diminishing water waste, ensuring high and stable crop yields, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. 3.4.1 Quick access to field moisture information Because of the different water requirements in different crop growth periods, the requirements 33 for irrigation and drainage in different crop growth stages vary greatly. To achieve scientific and reasonable irrigation and drainage, obtaining field moisture information is the basis. The frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) method, time domain reflectance (TDR) method, and standing wave rate (SWR) method are commonly used soil moisture detection methods. FDR and TDR methods have relatively high measurement accuracy, but the cost is also high, requiring thousands to tens of thousands of dollars each. The SWR method has the advantage of low cost when applied in a small area, but the cost is still high when applied in a large area. At present, most moisture sensors cannot achieve continuous measurement based on the network and the energy consumption is too high. In response to these problems, agricultural institutes have developed vehicle-mounted and field-mobile soil moisture and compaction composite sensors. South China Agricultural University has developed a wireless network-based water layer height and soil moisture content sensor, which can measure the depth of the water layer when there is water in the paddy field and the soil moisture content when there is no water layer. The measurement error is within ±5 percent, but its node life is not long enough and the application scale is still relatively small. Therefore, in terms of wireless sensor network technology for rapid acquisition of field moisture information, it is still necessary to conduct in-depth research and development in sensor energy, transmission protocol, and topological models and architectures that coordinate the roles of cluster heads, base stations, SMS gateways, and computer control centers. In addition, the aim is to develop a quick acquisition device for field moisture information with long service life, low production cost, long transmission distance, wide measurement range, and strong adaptability. 3.4.2 Drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler irrigation Drip irrigation is currently the most advanced irrigation technology in the world. It is an effective means to save water and fertilizer, increase production, improve labor efficiency, and improve soil quality. Also, it has been widely used in China’s field crop production and is known as a revolution in current agricultural technology. Drip irrigation technology under film has been promoted in Hainan, Guangxi, Anhui, Hubei, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and other provinces in China. This technology has saved water by about 50 percent and diminished irrigation water costs by 24,900 yuan per hectare. The drip irrigation system under mulch effectively inhibited the salinization of the soil and decreased the average salt content of the cultivated layer by 1.85 percent. Using this technology can also increase fertilizer efficiency by 30 to 40 percent and save labor by 50 percent. However, Chinese supporting technology under film drip irrigation technology is not perfect, the cost of using equipment is high, the service life is short, and the technical use is not standardized. Therefore, it is suggested to further improve the supporting technology, decrease the cost of use, extend the service life, and promote it according to local conditions, which is an important development direction to further improve the level of drip irrigation technology in China. Micro-sprinkler irrigation is currently an advanced technology for water regulation of crops worldwide. It is mainly suitable for greenhouse vegetables, seedlings, flower cultivation, or ornamental crops with high humidity requirements. This technology can effectively save water, fertilizer, time, and energy. It can also control the ground temperature, keep the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse constant, decrease the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, and increase crop yield and quality. It can be used in facility agriculture and characteristic agriculture. 34 Among this technology, ultra-micro irrigation is a new technology of micro-sprinkler irrigation. It uses micro-hole deep irrigation to directly transport water and nutrient solution to crop roots. According to the specified time, area, and intensity, the system can supply water according to the growth law of crops. Water supply to crops can save 40 to 90 percent of water and 20 to 40 percent of energy, and decrease the amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticide, diminish environmental pollution, and benefit soil improvement and crop growth. 3.4.3 Integrated irrigation technology of water, fertilizer, and agricultural chemicals This is an advanced technology that integrates irrigation, fertilization, and pesticide application. Its core technology is to use a pressure irrigation system to mix soluble solid or liquid fertilizers and pesticides together with irrigation water and evenly and accurately transport them to the soil at the roots of the crops to absorb water and nutrients there at the same time. The current large-scale integrated fertigation model is the gravity self-pressure fertilization method mainly used for fertilization in hilly and mountainous orchards, tea gardens, and woodlands. In 2020, China’s integrated irrigation technology of water, fertilizer, and agricultural chemicals was to be extended to more than 100 million hectares, which could save more than 50 percent of water and 30 percent of fertilizer, and increase the yield of food crops by 20 percent, so that economic crops could save more than 9,000 yuan per hectare. Chinese scholars have done more research on the integrated fertigation system than on the integrated system of water, fertilizer, and agricultural chemicals. However, China has not yet formed a set of practical and scientific products for this integrated irrigation technology. The degree of automation in the coordination of irrigation, fertilization, and pesticide application is still meager and there is no smart interactive control system. Therefore, it is suggested to strengthen research on the control system in order to improve the coordination degree, automation level, and mixing accuracy of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals while realizing smart control. 3.4.4 Actively develop dry farming and water-saving agriculture （ 1） Optimize the structure of crop production and focus on promoting structural water saving It is suggested to encourage the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to promote agricultural structural adjustment, develop an ecological water-saving agriculture action plan, and solve the contradiction between water supply and demand in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Also, it is suggested to coordinate the implementation of a pilot project for comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation areas in Hebei and a pilot plantation and fallow system, combine seasonal fallow with water-saving technologies, and promote the technical model of “one-season fallow and one- season rain farming.� Finally, it is suggested to decrease the maize planting area of high latitudes and arid areas by 2 million hectares and actively develop drought-tolerant and water-saving miscellaneous grains, potatoes, and forages with market demand. 35 （ 2）Promote integrated fertigation technology and focus on promoting agronomic water conservation In 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the Implementation Plan for Promoting the Integration of Fertigation (2016‒2020), proposing the guiding ideology, development goals, work ideas, regional layout, and key tasks for accelerating the promotion of fertigation (Figure 3.4). It is suggested to arrange a fund of 30 million yuan each year to build 11 high-standard water-saving agricultural demonstration areas in North, Northwest, and Southwest China, and focus on demonstrations of the integration of fertigation under film drip irrigation, integration of fertigation for rainwater harvesting and supplementary irrigation, and integration of fertigation for spray drip irrigation. The former Ministry of Agriculture promotes dry farming technology in different regions, continues to implement the dry-farming technology subsidy fund of 1 billion yuan, and focuses on supporting the promotion of dry-farming technology based on mulching in the eight northern provinces according to local conditions. Figure 3.4. Smart Fertigation Facility （3）Cultivate and popularize drought-tolerant varieties and focus on promoting varieties to save water It is suggested to focus on the problem of high water demand and low water-use efficiency of wheat, increase the selection and promotion of drought-tolerant and stress-tolerant varieties, improve the water-use efficiency of wheat, and decrease the frequency of irrigation. Also, it is suggested to intensify research efforts, speed up selection and breeding, and promote a batch of drought-tolerant, high-yield, high-quality maize, rice, and other crop varieties. 3.5. Comprehensive Use Technology of Straw In recent years, improper disposal of crop straw has become one of the major causes of non- point source pollution in rural areas. China has therefore focused on the fields of straw fertilizer, feed, energy, bio-based material, raw material, and collection, storage, and transportation system 36 construction. China has also vigorously promoted the comprehensive use technology of large amounts of straw, mature technology, and high added value, and promoted pilot demonstrations of the comprehensive use of straw. （1）Vigorously promote straw return The Chinese government promotes the rapid return of decomposed straw to the field, abdomen- digested straw return to the field, and mechanized direct return to the field. Since 2015, the central government has allocated 800 million yuan each year to carry out a soil organic matter improvement subsidy project to encourage and support farmers to return straw to the field. At the same time, 17 items of machinery related to the comprehensive use of straw are included in the agricultural machinery purchase subsidy. In 2017, the area of straw return reached 50 million hectares and the area of picked and bundled straw exceeded 670,000 hectares, which effectively improved soil quality, and this has a positive effect on farmland conservation. （2）Actively carry out straw breeding The Chinese government encourages breeding farms (households) and feed enterprises to use straw to produce high-quality feed. For a long time, China has vigorously implemented straw-raising livestock projects and supported the development of straw-raising livestock joint household demonstration farms and silage specialization pilot demonstrations. China has also focused on supporting the construction and transformation of straw silage, ammoniated ponds, and other straw feed-processing infrastructure, along with the purchase of straw-processing machinery and processing equipment, etc. These have made great progress in advancing straw feed. About 70 percent of the roughage for cattle and sheep in China is mainly derived from various crop straw, which strongly supports the rapid development of cattle and sheep breeding. （3）Strengthen technology integration and promotion in straw use In order to promote research on and promotion of the comprehensive use of straw, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs added scientific positions on the comprehensive use of straw in the modern agricultural industry technology system. It promoted a cooperative innovation alliance for the comprehensive use of maize stalks in Northeast China. It is suggested to tackle key scientific and technological problems, organize expert groups to carry out technological docking with 12 pilot provinces, and accelerate the popularization and application of technological models. To guide the popularization of practical and mature straw comprehensive use technologies and promote the industrialization of the comprehensive use of straw, the National Development and Reform Commission has compiled the Catalog of Comprehensive Use Technologies of Straw, focusing on the promotion of straw fertilizer, feed, raw material, fuel, and basic straw. Five major categories and 19 technologies, including material use technology, have clarified the technical content, characteristics, precautions, main technical standards, and specifications. The Ministry of Agriculture organized the selection of ten straw farming models: deep ploughing of maize stalks in the Northeast alpine region, the deep ploughing of cotton stalks in the arid areas of the Northwest, the Huang-Huai-Hai area with maize stalks covered by rotary tillage, the Loess Plateau low-tillage and no-tillage straw mulch return model, 37 rice and wheat straw smashing and rotary tillage return model in the Yangtze River Basin, rapid decay of straw return model in South China, straw-feed-fertilizer combined planting and breeding model, straw-methane-fertilizer energy ecological model, straw-bacteria-fertilizer substrate use model, and straw-charcoal-fertilizer return to soil model. （4）Improve the straw collection, storage, and transportation system It is suggested to explore establishing a market-oriented straw collection and logistics system with enterprises as the leader, farmers’ participation, and government supervision. China should also develop the mechanization of crop combine harvesting and straw use, including the function of crushing and returning to the field, picking up and bundling, storage, and transportation, and establish and perfect a straw field treatment system. It is suggested to strengthen experimental demonstrations, establish experimental demonstration sites in demonstration counties for the full mechanization of major crops, and organize the promotion and demonstration of protective tillage, straw returning, and leaving the field technology (Figure 3.5). Also, the local agricultural department should intensify efforts to promote returning straw to the field and leaving the field by holding on-site meetings and training courses for mechanized straw returning and leaving the field, and issuing the Technical Model for Returning Straw to the Field. On the other hand, the central government should strengthen the role of policy guidance, provide agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy guidance, include straw returning and leaving the field in the scope of subsidies, and implement open subsidies. Figure 3.5. Machinery Operation for Straw Removal from the Field 3.6. Promotion of Residual Film Recycling Machinery to Decrease White Pollution on Farmland Driven by national policy support and scientific research projects, China’s residual film recycling machine has made considerable progress. Several follow-ups and active residual film 38 recycling models (e.g., segment operations, joint operations) have been developed to carry out the separation of straw returning to the field and residual film recycling. Agricultural film recycling and regeneration processing and use technologies have been explored in various regions, especially in dry-farming areas such as Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, and have achieved some positive results. The application of thick film, mechanized picking, and specialized recycling has gradually taken place. As of the end of 2017, the number of residual film recycling machines in Gansu surpassed 10,000 and the mechanized recycling area reached 1.47 million hectares, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total film coating area. The number of residual film recycling machines in Xinjiang was nearly 20,000 and the mechanized recycling area was approximately 1.4 million hectares, accounting for 60 percent of the total covered area. Ningxia has more than 1,300 residual film recycling machines, following the technical route of “mechanized film mulching planting-company acquisition of residual film-mechanized residual film recovery operation-granulation production and sales,� which is based on the government promotion + enterprise drive, plus farmer participation, and plus market operation mode. Up to the end of 2017, 217 residual film recycling stations and 29 residual film granulation processing enterprises had been established in central and southern Ningxia, recovering 15,200 tons of residual film and processing and producing 3,050 tons of plastic granules, and the residual film recycling rate had reached 90 percent. White pollution in Ningxia has already been effectively controlled. 39 4. The Typical Cases of China's High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development 4.1 Sinochem Agriculture MAP (Modern Agricultural Platform) Strategy The Sinochem Agriculture MAP strategy promotes appropriate land scale and the use of modern agricultural technology to “plant good land� as a breakthrough and integrates modern agricultural planting technology and smart agriculture as a means to provide online and offline integration (Figure 4.1). This strategy covers all of agricultural production; comprehensive solutions for modern agriculture; comprehensively improving the level of agricultural planting; gradually realizing the marketization, specialization, and quality of agricultural products; achieving an increase in the value of the agricultural industry chain and an increase in the benefits of growers; and enhancing the overall competitiveness and availability of China’s sustainable agricultural development. Sinochem Smart Agriculture launched a modern farm service platform centered on precision planting. Through the Internet, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and other scientific and technological means, it can carry out the visualization of farm plot management, remote-sensing analysis of crop growth, precise weather forecasting, agricultural management, pest warning, equipment control, and precise disaster reduction. Also, it can track and solve the problems of agricultural production management throughout the whole process. At the same time, through continuous data accumulation and smart agricultural technology application, the development of agricultural production from standardization to precision to intelligentization is promoted. With the core technical means of technology, specialization, and practicality, this helps farmers to achieve “planting good quality and selling for a good price.� Figure 4-1. Schematic Diagram of Sinochem Agriculture MAP Strategy 40 4.1.1 MAP offline: MAP technical service center + MAP demonstration farm Offline, Sinochem Agriculture implemented its MAP strategy by building a MAP technical service center and MAP demonstration farm for all of China. Relying on the MAP technical service center, Sinochem Agriculture provides large-scale farmers with “7 + 3� service projects: variety planning, soil and fertilizer testing, customized plant protection, testing services, agricultural machinery services, technical training, smart agricultural services, grain drying and storage and sales, agricultural finance, and agricultural diesel. Also, taking the MAP demonstration farm as the display base, Sinochem Agriculture uses advanced modern agricultural integration technology to achieve “being for the farmers and leading the farmers� to attract more ordinary farmers to join the moderately large-scale operations of modern agriculture. 4.1.2 MAP offline: MAP Smart Agriculture platform MAP Smart Agriculture, with smart agriculture achieving modern farm management as its core, uses modern agricultural technology to provide a precision planting platform for field crops. MAP Smart Agriculture can realize plot management from a more professional perspective, remote- sensing observation of crop growth, precise weather forecasting, agricultural management, agricultural reminders, pest and disease warning, and agricultural networking providing precise planting services for field crops, thus helping growers effectively manage farms, diminish planting costs, and increase yield. The MAP Smart Agriculture platform integrates modern farm management systems, technical service center systems, and precision planting decision-making systems. It relies on the offline MAP technical service center and demonstration farm service network as well as technical services and agricultural production and product mass management data, and uses mobile Internet and IoT and other technical means to track and solve the efficiency problems of service center operations and large-scale grower farm management (Figure 4.2). At the same time, through continuous data accumulation and artificial intelligence technology application, MAP offline and online services are integrated and mutually promoted to carry out agricultural production from standardization to precision and then to intelligentization. 41 Figure 4-2. Schematic Diagram of MAP Smart Agriculture Solutions Farmland management. MAP Smart Agriculture can be used with a smart farming platform to manage farmland on a map so that farmland details can be seen at a glance. Remote-sensing observations. MAP Smart Agriculture can be used with satellites, UAVs, and other approaches to conduct RS observations and generate NDVI maps to analyze crop growth, decrease the cost of manual field inspections, and improve farm efficiency. Precise weather forecasting. MAP Smart Agriculture can provide accurate weather forecasting data services with 1 × 1 kilometer of weather data, collect historical meteorological data, provide meteorological references, and provide effective agricultural production and planting support. Agricultural production management. MAP Smart Agriculture can carry out progressive visualization management on a map, customize and manage the agricultural operational plan through the MAP smart farming platform, carry out farming activities according to the operational plan, and record agricultural machinery operations. Farming reminder. The growth of different crops requires long-term corresponding agricultural activities. Through accurate planting plans, the MAP smart farming platform provides accurate and timely notifications to farmers, guides agricultural personnel in their work, signals the appropriate time to do practical agricultural tasks, and improves timely agricultural operations. Early warning for pests and diseases. MAP Smart Agriculture combines crop physiology and predicts the outbreak of pests and diseases according to temperature and precipitation trends and provides early warning and early prevention and control, thereby decreasing losses. Farm network. Combining the data from IoT equipment, MAP Smart Agriculture analyzes and forms a precise planting solution. By collecting data such as weather and soil moisture, the equipment can also be remotely controlled. MAP Smart Agriculture can deal with problems in a timely and effective manner and thus diminish labor costs. 42 4.1.3 Examples of Sinochem MAP model in China （1）Alfalfa in Aluhor County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Aluhor County is located in eastern Inner Mongolia and is northeast of Chifeng City. It has a total land area of 14,277 square kilometers. It is the main alfalfa-producing area in China and the cropping system is an oat and alfalfa rotation. Because of the vast area of farmland, farmers cannot monitor the growth of alfalfa in place and problems cannot be discovered and resolved in time, resulting in a serious decline in yield and quality. MAP Smart Agriculture software uses satellites, UAVs, and other approaches to conduct remote-sensing observations and generate NDVI maps to analyze crop growth and effectively monitor the entire range of crops (Figure 4.3). MAP Smart Agriculture software can achieve precise field inspections, diminish the cost of manual field inspections, solve problems quickly and efficiently, improve farm efficiency, and improve management. Figure 4-3. The User Interface of MAP Smart Agriculture Software （2）Maize production in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province Northeast China is the main maize production area. The four seasons are distinct, the temperature difference is large, and the perception of weather changes is insufficient, which often leads to decreased crop yields and waste of resources because of abnormal weather. The large number of farm lands and their sparse distribution result in high management costs during the production and planting process. Therefore, farmers often suffer great losses from maize production. Through 1 × 1 kilometer of weather data, real-time grid-type agrometeorological data query on the farm provides accurate weather forecasting for farmers. During maize growth, MAP Smart Agriculture software can provide real-time monitoring of soil moisture, accurate warning of drought, and reminders for administrators to replenish water in time (Figure 4.4). These services can help farmers adjust spraying plans, decrease production and planting risks, and provide effective agricultural production and planting support. Farmers using the services of RS monitoring can achieve precise field inspections and decrease management costs. 43 Figure 4-4. Services Provided by MAP Smart Agriculture Software （3）Potato production in Xilin Gol City, Inner Mongolia The area at the junction of Inner Mongolia and Zhangbei grassland is a large-scale potato planting area in China. Although the farming scale is great, the degree of intelligence of equipment control and data collection is weak and the cost of manual management is high. Effective defense measures against pests and diseases are lacking, which decreases the yield and quality of potatoes. According to the potato planting plan, MAP Smart Agriculture software can provide agricultural reminders and monitor changes in weather and soil moisture to prevent outbreaks of pests and diseases. MAP Smart Agriculture software integrates the data of IoT equipment and then analyzes and forms a precise planting solution. At the same time, MAP Smart Agriculture software can remotely control agricultural equipment to intelligently and accurately irrigate, thereby diminishing labor costs and improving potato yield and quality. 4.2 Donglin Model: Typical Circular Agricultural Green Production in China 4.2.1 Brief introduction to the Donglin model The Donglin model is a straw-sheep-fat-rice circular ecological agricultural model (Figure 4.5). This model collects rice and wheat straw through mechanized harvesting, bundling, and fermentation to make feed and then uses the straw to feed lake sheep. Then, lake sheep digest straw feed and produce animal manure, which can be used as organic fertilizer and applied to the farmland. This model uses straw collection, processing, and fermentation to make feed for animal husbandry, which could effectively solve the problem of straw processing. It can be described as a win-win solution for maximizing both ecological and economic benefits. 44 Figure 4-5. The Donglin Straw-Sheep-Fat-Rice Circular Ecological Agricultural Model 4.2.2 Characteristics of the Donglin model （1）Main techniques Straw wrapping and micro-storage technique. After the mature rice and wheat are harvested by the combine harvester, the straw is placed on the field to dry. The operational procedure (raking grass into ridges, tying and spraying bacteria, wrapping, and stacking) is completed by the relay of the hay rake, baler (microbial storage spraying device), and wrapping machine (clipping device). The agricultural machinery adaptation ratio is 1 hay rake + 2 balers + 3 coating machines. The wrapping capacity is 0.6 to 1.0 hectare of straw per hour and the wrapping and stacking time is more than 2 months. Straw feed processing. The methods of processing micro-storage straw into roughage for grass and livestock involve centralized processing in commercial factories and processing of self-use pasture rations. The fermented rice straw enters the vertical guillotine machine and the auxiliary material in the auxiliary material tank. The auxiliary materials are conveyed to the horizontal kneading machine through the conveyor belt and mixed evenly. At the same time, a small amount of molasses and bacteria is added (molasses and strains are added in batches after all the straw and auxiliary materials are added), and this then enters the storage bin and is transported to the site by the conveyor belt to be wrapped and bundled (large packaging, 800 kg per bundle). One ton of rice straw can produce approximately 2.0 to 2.5 tons of commercial roughage (60 percent moisture) or full-price daily mixed feed (TMR, 40‒45 percent moisture), of which rice straw accounts for more than 40 percent and raw materials such as tofu residue nearly 60 percent. The finished roughage is 2 to 3 cm in length and filamentous, which meets the ruminant requirements of fattening sheep for dietary fiber. Sheep manure composting technique. The large-scale breeding farm has 10,000 fattening sheep, 45 producing about 15 tons of granular sheep manure per day. This sheep manure is collected by machinery and transported to the fertilizer plant for aerobic composting. The stacking aerobic composting process is adopted. Raw material mixing parameters follow: fresh sheep dung (65 percent moisture) and straw (20 percent moisture) are mixed at an 8:1 ratio; commercial sheep dung organic fertilizer parameters are 1 kg of sheep dung (65 percent moisture) mixed with straw. This can produce 0.57 kg of commercial organic fertilizer (30 percent moisture). （2）The characteristics of technique integration This technique integration model promotes the coordinated development of planting and breeding sectors, decreases agricultural non-point source pollution, and builds a circular ecological agricultural industry chain of “one grass, one sheep, one bag of fertilizer, and one grain of rice.� The added value of agricultural products is increased and high economic benefits of more than 100,000 yuan per hectare are obtained. （3）Comprehensive benefits The Donglin grass-sheep-field agricultural and animal husbandry cycle technology demonstration base has 140 hectares of rice and wheat farmland and 6,000 sheep farms per year. It also has a fermented straw feed factory (with an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons), a rice processing plant, and an organic fertilizer plant. There are 11 sets of rice and wheat straw collection agricultural machinery, of which the straw fermented feed factory fulfills the domestic production of fermented straw feed. The base adopts the ecological cycle model of the straw-sheep-manure- rice ecological cycle model, and it focuses on mechanical collection and micro-storage of rice and wheat straw/feed preparation and processing/lake sheep farming/sheep manure organic fertilizer preparation/farmland reuse. The industrial chain is dominated by fermented animal feed, ecological mutton, high-quality rice, and organic fertilizer. The circular agricultural demonstration base can provide 1,333 hectares of external straw mechanical collection services, annual processing of 15,000 tons of straw, production of 20,000 tons of commercial feed, and 3,000 tons of organic manure fertilizer, with an annual net income of more than 12 million yuan. Compared with traditional manure, the application of sheep manure organic fertilizer can significantly increase the organic content of the soil. After 9 years of application of sheep manure organic fertilizer, the soil organic matter content has risen from 1.9 percent to 4.0 percent and the amount of chemical fertilizer has decreased by about 60 percent; the average rice yield per hectare is 10,500 kg. Also, the selenium- enriched rice produced is well received by consumers because of its high quality and good taste. 4.3 The Operational Mechanism of the Crayfish and Rice Co-Cultivation Model in Qianjiang, Hubei Qianjiang is located in the Jianghan Plain. It is a place of innovation for crayfish and rice farming and a demonstration area for comprehensive rice cultivation in China. It earned the title of “Hometown of crayfish and rice in China.� Since the first proposal of this model in 2001, it has always insisted on making a crayfish bigger and rice stronger and has continued to innovate, explore, and practice on the road to advancing the crayfish and rice co-cultivation model (Figure 4.6). In 2019, the Qianjiang crayfish regional public brand was valued at 20.37 billion yuan, ranking first 46 among China’s crayfish regional brands. The proposal and development of the crayfish and rice co- cultivation model provide a beneficial guarantee for promoting green agricultural production and an increase in farmers’ income. After continuous exploration and practice, Qianjiang has formed a unique Qianjiang mode, which has made important contributions to the rapid promotion of crayfish and rice cultivation in the Jianghan Plain and even in China. Through field surveys in Qianjiang and other places, three typical models are summarized: family farm, enterprise + base + cooperative + farmer, and whole industry chain. Figure 4-6. Demonstration of the Crayfish and Rice Co-Cultivation Model 4.3.1 The family farm model As a provincial-level model family farm, Jiechao family farm actively promotes the ecological, organic, and healthy business philosophy, mainly developing organic rice, fruits, and vegetables along with crayfish farming. It has its own brand: Xinshengnong. The farm is guided by a top-level design, focusing on scientific planning and gardening layout, and it advances land circulation and builds modern agricultural demonstration bases in accordance with the standards of high-quality agricultural products. The production investment is 8.5 million yuan, including 113 hectares of crayfish and rice planting area and 27 hectares of aquatic product breeding area. The farm has always been guided by market consumer demand preferences and adopts private customization for green production. It also implements membership services and claiming of products through membership cards. It presently has more than 400 members and the receiving members have ordered five batches. These members have claimed 67 hectares of Jinzhen No. 2 crayfish rice. In order to ensure the quality of its agricultural products, the farm implements a scientific management method, establishes an all-around sprinkler irrigation system, implements green pest control technology, and applies organic fertilizer such as chicken manure and pig manure. It also implements the Zhangtongjiayuan network remote video interactive management system. Members can supervise the whole process of organic planting through mobile video, realizing interactive management between customers and farms. In addition, the surrounding farmers are encouraged to join the farm management information platform, participate in the farm production process, and purchase their 47 agricultural products in the form of orders to promote an increase in local farmers’ income. The farm breaks through the traditional sales method and adopts the Internet+ distribution marketing form. With the O2O business marketing model, sales are carried out through e-commerce and member distribution, thus decreasing intermediate links in circulation and focusing on ecology, freshness, and direct access. The annual sales of the farm can reach 41 million yuan, of which the unit price of crayfish and rice is 35 yuan per catty, the total income of 113 hectares of crayfish and rice can reach 28 million yuan, and the income of aquatic products can reach 2 million yuan. 4.3.2 Enterprise + base + cooperative + farmer model As a key national-level leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization and the implementation unit of the Standardized Demonstration Zone for Crayfish and Rice Cultivation project, Jujin Rice Industry Co., Ltd., actively provides three major supports: management system, team building, and innovative new business formats. Not only has it passed the ISO9001 quality management system certification and used the development strategy of going out and inviting in to improve its management level; it also actively participated in the construction of the “belt and road� and adopted Internet+ to do a good job of “three in a row.� Variety, quality, brand, and scale; standardization; and refinement are the development directions, and the “three implementations� of base layout, order production, and modern production management are strengthened. In 2018, the crayfish and rice co-cultivation production base was approximately 9,300 hectares, supporting more than 5,160 farmers. The base cooperated with central enterprises such as COFCO and China National Aviation Industry Corporation to ensure the fulfillment of production contracts, played a leading role, fully implemented the co-construction and co-management model, and established a full-process quality management system. In addition, it has created three linkage models: leading enterprise + seed industry + insurance + cooperatives + farmers, party building + enterprises + cooperatives + poor households, and self-built core demonstration bases. The aim was to improve the whole process of linking from high-quality seeds to processing workshops; implement contract orders and carry out rebates; proceed in a unified way of planting varieties, rice insurance, technical services, premium price purchases, and brand sales; take the lead in establishing a crayfish and rice industry consortium, adopting the following: “Enterprises contract villages, party members contract households, and poor households can buy stocks, obtain free seed supply, and purchase at a better price.� A total of 667 hectares of core bases are established through land transfer and the nearest base workers are given priority in hiring poor households. In addition, Jujin Rice Industry participated in the drafting and formulation of relevant provincial and municipal technical standards, actively promoted regional brands and independent brands of “Watertown Crayfish and Rice,� and established industry-university-research cooperation relationships with scientific research institutions. It also provided great service and established a three-dimensional online and offline marketing network system. In 2019, it was estimated that 70,000 tons of crayfish and rice would be purchased and stored, 60,000 tons of rice would be processed, and sales revenue would exceed 300 million yuan. 48 4.3.3 Full industry chain model With the support of Qianjiang Municipal Government, Huashan Science and Technology Co., Ltd., has converted farming to establish standardized breeding bases since 2013, forming a development model of “three rights separation, land transfer, industry-city interaction, mutual benefit, and win-win.� The main purpose is to effectively separate the contracted management rights of farmers in Zhaonao Village, carry out large-scale land transfer, establish 260 crayfish and rice farming breeding units (each breeding unit is 2.7 hectares) in accordance with modern agricultural standards, and then provide equivalent anti-rental contracting to local farmers. The enterprise purchases agricultural products produced by farmers at a premium and all income from planting and breeding goes to the farmers. In 2018, the rice output in Zhaonao Village was 7.2 million kilograms, an increase of 5.4 million kilograms from before the transfer. The five-year net income of the contracting households of each breeding unit has shown an upward trend, which is more than six times the benefit of traditional agricultural production. The enterprise and Zhao Nao Village jointly established agricultural machinery and agricultural materials cooperatives to provide farmers with full socialized paid services and increase the village collective income. At the same time, under the operation and management of the cooperative, a modern agricultural system of unified management and acquisition has been basically realized to ensure standardized production of the base and outreach to increase the income of more than 80,000 farmers in the surrounding area. It also prioritizes the provision of breeding units to poor households and provides hematopoietic assistance in the form of free crayfish species and production materials and guaranteed loans. In addition, the company has continued to expand its processing scale and built four independent aseptic constant-temperature aquatic product processing workshops in strict accordance with U.S. HACCP and EU EEC standards, and has also established a working group to build a quality control system. It has the world’s advanced chitin deep processing technology and scientific research personnel, mainly using waste crayfish shells to develop high value-added products such as chitin. Three brands (Liangren, Crayfish Zhenda, and Lake Carving Beikang) have been created and the products are sold to major cities in China and American and European countries such as Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands. 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