The land always remains vibrant and captivating. Watch as high-quality seeds break through the soil, growing from tender sprouts into lush green leaves, brimming with vitality; plant protection drones glide steadily overhead, evenly delivering water and fertilizer to the fields, while combine harvesters race across the farmland, completing harvesting, threshing, and straw crushing in one seamless operation. Most lively of all are the people working in the fields—breeders bending down to inspect the performance of carefully selected varieties, and agricultural experts crouching by the ridges to guide farmers on field management techniques. With the power of technology, the land no longer presents the grueling image of "face to the soil, back to the sky" or "summer tending under scorching heat," but rather a joyful picture of "machines running everywhere and farmers beaming with smiles."
The key to agricultural modernization lies in the modernization of agricultural science and technology. Currently, China's overall agricultural technology innovation level has entered the world's top tier, with the contribution rate of agricultural technological progress exceeding 64%. From "depending on the weather" to "prosperity through intelligence," the country's agricultural technology level continues to rise, and the foundation for high-quality development is becoming increasingly solid.
High-Quality Seeds Lay a Solid Foundation for Bumper Harvests
Although the summer harvest concluded months ago, the moment the measured yield per mu was announced still brings an involuntary smile to the face of Xu Xudong, chairman of Taihe County Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Cooperative in Anhui. "Because of the heavy early rains, I was a bit worried at first, but fortunately the 'Annong 98' variety we planted had good lodging resistance, so the yield held steady! At 879.21 kilograms per mu, it ranks among the best in the province!"
In the autumn of 2025, continuous rainfall in China's Huang-Huai-Hai region caused widespread late sowing of winter wheat, significantly impacting summer grain production. Yet encouragingly, in 2026, China's summer grain output exceeded 300 billion jin for the first time, reaching 301.49 billion jin, with wheat yield per mu at 402.6 kilograms, an increase of 3.4 kilograms (0.9%) compared to 2025.
"A large number of new varieties with high and stable yields, resistance to Fusarium head blight, and resistance to pre-harvest sprouting have been bred and promoted, providing strong support for wheat disaster resistance and bumper harvests," noted Zhou Yunlong, Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. In Yangzhou, Jiangsu, a region prone to frequent and severe outbreaks of Fusarium head blight—often called wheat's "cancer"—the newly promoted resistant variety "Yangmai 53" achieved a bountiful harvest this year. In Wuyi County, Hebei, China's independently bred durum wheat achieved its first large-scale field harvest, with measured yields per mu surpassing imported varieties, marking a breakthrough in the domestication and cultivation of durum wheat and reversing the long-standing reliance on imports. In Xinfeng County, Jiangxi, the extra-early maturing rapeseed variety "Zhongyouzao 5" achieved a one-time mechanical harvest yield of 201.96 kilograms per mu, with its full growth period shortened by 14 days compared to national research targets, signaling progress in resolving the "grain-oil land competition" conflict in the southern double-cropping rice regions and unlocking the potential of winter fallow fields. Each high-quality seed strengthens the foundation of the nation's granary.
Currently, the planting area of independently bred crop varieties in China exceeds 95%, ensuring that "China's grain mainly uses China's seeds," with the improved variety coverage rate surpassing 96%. The domestic market share of vegetable, aquatic product, and livestock and poultry germplasm resources exceeds 91%, 86%, and 80%, respectively. The germplasm resource base is more robust, with the total volume of preserved resources ranking first in the world, laying a more solid foundation for breeding innovation. "The achievements in seed industry research are even more fruitful. We have bred and promoted a large number of excellent varieties with high yield, high quality, disease resistance, and stress tolerance. High-quality rice and water-saving, disease-resistant wheat now account for 55% and 44% of the total, respectively. Corn adapted to high-density planting and suitable for mechanical harvesting is leading a new round of variety upgrading and yield improvement. The market share of independently bred White Feather Broilers, Huaxi cattle, and other excellent varieties continues to rise," Zhou Yunlong stated.
Smart Agricultural Machinery Reshapes the Production Landscape
"Farming is getting easier and easier! Take rice transplanting, for instance—once the smart transplanter passes through, rows of seedlings stand neatly in the paddy field. And in the fields, there are countless smart monitoring stations tracking soil moisture and pest conditions! In the past, we worked from dawn to dusk in the fields, but now, with a tap on my phone, I can do 'farm work'!" Speaking of the changes in agriculture over the years, Zhou Dehua, a farmer at Qixing Farm under the Beidahuang Jiansanjiang Branch in Heilongjiang, feels that "intelligence" is becoming more and more prevalent.
Indeed, at Qixing Farm alone, technicians can track the entire soaking and germination process at the smart dual-oxygen germination base, with real-time monitoring of oxygen supply, water temperature, and water level. The backend system precisely regulates all parameters, achieving fully automated and visualized management from seed soaking to sprouting. In the seedling greenhouses, automated inspection robots with "hawk-like eyes" can accurately identify and locate the positions and types of pest and disease damage on seedlings, while the backend provides targeted treatment plans. As an auto-yield-measuring harvester devours the rice, the yield for the corresponding area immediately appears on the screen in the cab.
The entire Jiansanjiang Branch is equipped with 19,800 agricultural machines fitted with navigation systems. Leveraging modern agricultural technologies such as BeiDou navigation and smart monitoring, it effectively reduces labor input and cuts the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. At the same time, it is building pilot and demonstration bases focused on cutting-edge technologies like AI field patrols, using new equipment and technologies to reconstruct the agricultural production process.
This transformation is not limited to Beidahuang. From the shores of the South China Sea to the northwest frontier, precision seeders, smart transplanters, unmanned plant protection drones, and combine harvesters have become standard equipment. In high-standard farmland, intelligent water-fertilizer robots stand guard, capturing real-time data on temperature, nutrients, and soil moisture. Vegetable-picking robots move through the beds, gently lifting greens with their dexterous "hands," leaving the leaves almost completely undamaged. The widespread adoption of smart agricultural machinery, along with the extensive application of the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, has made agricultural production more "intelligent." Currently, the comprehensive mechanization rate for plowing, planting, and harvesting in China stands at 76.7%, with wheat, corn, and rice—the three major staple grains—basically achieving full-process mechanization. The number of agricultural drones in use exceeds 300,000, with an annual operating area surpassing 460 million mu. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China developed the world's first intelligent breeding robot, "Ji'er," as well as smart agriculture large models like "Tianquan" and "Shennong," greatly improving breeding efficiency. Breakthroughs have been made in technologies such as power shift, continuously variable transmission, and high-feed-rate low-loss harvesting. The 300-horsepower CVT tractor and electric-driven high-speed precision seeder have been successfully deployed on the front lines, and the market competitiveness of independently developed six-row packaged cotton pickers continues to grow. Across the vast fields, technology is everywhere, and the equipment support for agricultural modernization is becoming ever stronger.
Scientific and Technological Achievements Nourish the Vast Farmlands
These days, Ma Zhankuan, a senior agronomist at the Agricultural Technology Extension Center in Ruyang County, Henan, is busy rushing to the countryside. "Not long ago, Typhoon 'White Dolphin' brought heavy rainfall, causing waterlogging in some fields. Now is a critical growth period for autumn crops like corn, and the high humidity in the fields has increased the risk of pests and diseases. We immediately organized agricultural technicians to conduct field inspections, promote drainage in waterlogged fields, and provide guidance on pest and disease prevention and control, strictly preventing outbreaks after the disaster and doing everything to ensure a good autumn harvest," Ma said.
The arrival of the experts has put local large-scale grower Sun Yule "much more at ease." "Before the typhoon, we received early warnings, cleared the field channels in advance, and made preparations. After the disaster, experts came again to check the corn growth and guide us on pesticide use, so we feel more confident. Farming no longer relies on blind guesswork—the level of technology is getting higher and higher!" Sun said.
The implementation of scientific and technological services is the key to converting agricultural technology into tangible yields, and the agricultural technology extension system serves as the critical hub for putting these achievements into practice. Currently, China has 57,400 agricultural technology extension institutions at all levels, staffed by approximately 460,000 personnel. These national-level institutions have innovatively implemented various models, including "open competition for projects," "regional" extension, and collaborative promotion of major technologies, playing a vital role in safeguarding food security and preventing and controlling animal and plant epidemics. In addition, China encourages the development of diversified service models such as science and technology envoys and science and technology backyards, supporting new agricultural business entities, agricultural enterprises, and various other service providers in carrying out agricultural technology extension services. By the end of 2025, there were 1.111 million commercial entities providing socialized services nationwide, covering an annual service area exceeding 2.29 billion mu. More and more advanced planting techniques and efficient farming models are moving out of laboratories and into the fields, achieving "technology implementation, farmer benefits, and industry efficiency."
At the same time, China's modern agricultural industry technology system has achieved remarkable results. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the system developed more than 6,900 new technologies, new processes, and new equipment; trained 18.85 million grassroots technicians, large growers, and farmers; provided 25,400 technical services for emergency disaster relief; and cultivated a large number of wealth-generating industries. "We revolve around industries and integrate into their development, driving the implementation of results through deep integration of science and industry. We will leverage the role of the modern agricultural industry technology system and the grassroots agricultural technology extension system, implement joint actions for the R&D and promotion of major breakthrough varieties, and actions for science and technology to support large-scale yield increases of grain and oil crops. We will select good achievements, connect them, and put them to use, quickly implementing them in the fields," Zhou Yunlong stated.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will steadfastly adhere to the strategic guidance of "facing the frontiers of world science and technology, facing the main economic battlefield, facing major national needs, and facing people's life and health," emphasize the supply of scientific and technological innovation and the traction of industrial demand, continuously enhance systematic problem-solving capabilities, effectively improve the efficiency of agricultural scientific and technological innovation investment, and provide strong support for accelerating the achievement of high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in agricultural science and technology.