In farms across Harbin, Heihe, and Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province, self-propelled intelligent laser weeding robots operate day and night, identifying, targeting, and burning weeds within 0.3 seconds, achieving a weed identification rate of over 95%. Agricultural machinery equipped with autonomous navigation systems traverses fields with centimeter-level precision, making the concept of "farming from home" a reality for farmers. In Henan Province, the agricultural and rural department in Hebi established an agricultural disaster monitoring and early warning system, enhancing capabilities for crop monitoring, disaster warnings, and real-time disease risk assessment, using digital technology to fortify agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation. Building a strong agricultural nation relies on technology as a key tool. Significantly improving China's agricultural technology level is essential for achieving agricultural and rural modernization.

Currently, technologies like large models, intelligent agents, and embodied intelligence are rapidly advancing, with artificial intelligence's impact on economic and social development shifting from local empowerment to comprehensive penetration. In agricultural production, various advanced technologies have become crucial drivers of economic growth in the agricultural and rural sectors. Intelligent breeding agents integrate millions of gene and production data points, optimizing breeding processes through algorithms to shorten the lettuce breeding cycle from five years to two years, while improving the stress resistance of trial varieties and reducing pesticide use by 15%. Drones can automate field patrols, apply variable-rate fertilizers and pesticides, and embodied intelligence robots for harvesting and sorting can replace human labor around the clock. Empowering agricultural tech innovation through multiple technological pathways can drive the transformation of agricultural production towards intelligence, precision, and efficiency.

Agricultural modernization hinges on the modernization of agricultural science and technology. The "Plan for Building a Strong Agricultural Nation (2024-2035)" proposes intensifying efforts to tackle key core agricultural technologies. The "15th Five-Year Plan for Accelerating Agricultural and Rural Modernization" points to "strengthening original innovation in agricultural science and technology and tackling key core technologies" and "improving the capability for agricultural science and technology innovation and the level of achievement transformation and promotion." This year's Central Document No. 1 calls for "enhancing the efficiency of agricultural science and technology innovation" and specifies "developing new agricultural productive forces tailored to local conditions, promoting the combination of artificial intelligence with agricultural development, expanding the application scenarios of drones, the Internet of Things, and robots, and accelerating key technological innovations in agricultural biomanufacturing." Under a series of policy deployments and promotions, the overall efficiency of China's agricultural science and technology innovation has further improved, and technological innovation has become a core element in promoting agricultural modernization and developing new agricultural productive forces.

A recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's agricultural science and technology made significant breakthroughs in several "bottleneck" areas, with overall agricultural science and technology innovation advancing into the world's top tier. Various regions and departments are strengthening the support of agricultural science and technology, focusing on breaking through key core technologies. This can lead to a transformative leap in traditional agricultural productivity through smart equipment and biotechnology, driving the overall iterative upgrade of the entire industry chain, including planting, breeding, processing, and circulation. It will promote the widespread adoption of modern agricultural development concepts such as green, low-carbon, precise, efficient, and digital agriculture, thereby providing strong momentum for high-quality agricultural development.

To promote innovation in agricultural science and technology, it is essential to steadfastly pursue a path of deep integration and coordinated development between industry, academia, and research. On one hand, leveraging the technical reserves and talent advantages of universities and agricultural research institutes, targeted research should be conducted focusing on core areas and addressing industry pain points and bottlenecks. This will lead to the continuous development of new agricultural technologies, varieties, and equipment, laying a solid foundation for agricultural science and technology innovation. For example, the Pinggu District in Beijing has persistently pursued core technology breakthroughs in the seed industry, independently developing the DNA chip "Fengxin No. 1" to break the world monopoly. Domestic breeding chickens and eggs achieved their first export "breakthrough," the Wode series of white-feathered broilers filled a domestic gap, and gene-edited pigs resistant to blue ear disease achieved 100% disease resistance. On the other hand, the innovation subject status of agricultural enterprises should be strengthened, strongly supporting leading agricultural enterprises to take the lead in forming agricultural science and technology innovation alliances and industry innovation consortia. This will integrate high-quality resources and concentrate superior forces on tackling key agricultural core technologies and transforming achievements for practical application, using industry demand to guide scientific research innovation and technology breakthroughs to empower industrial upgrades.

Only by breaking down the barriers between universities, research institutes, agricultural operators, and technology companies, and building an integrated innovation system for industry, academia, and research, can the chain from basic research and technology development to field application and market transformation be smoothly facilitated, forming a complete closed loop. In the future, it is necessary to more actively explore high-quality pathways for cultivating agricultural talent. Focus on key areas such as seed industry innovation, smart agricultural machinery, digital agriculture, green farming, and deep processing of agricultural products. Implement precise talent cultivation and targeted education. Adhere to basing efforts on industry needs, aligning with rural realities, and facing the forefront of science and technology. Continuously optimize the agricultural talent cultivation system, improve a three-in-one training model combining school education, industrial training, and field practice, and vigorously cultivate composite modern agricultural talents who understand technology, are good at management, and know how to operate. Simultaneously, improve the cultivation mechanism for grassroots agricultural technology talents and local skilled talents, clearing the talent chain for the implementation and promotion of technology. The "Plan for Comprehensive Rural Revitalization (2024-2027)" proposes implementing a special plan for hiring agricultural technology extension service personnel, cultivating agricultural technology extension talents, and expanding the team of science and technology commissioners. According to statistics, China currently has 57,400 agricultural technology extension institutions at all levels, with over 460,000 agricultural technology personnel. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China has dispatched nearly 900,000 person-times of science and technology commissioners, who have become the main force linking mature and applicable technologies to the fields. Continuously improving the agricultural science and technology talent echelon, and promoting the synchronized resonance of talent cultivation and industrial upgrading, and the precise alignment of technological innovation with rural needs, will provide a continuous source of talent support for persistently advancing agricultural science and technology self-reliance and the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.