The national finals of the 3rd "PDD Cup" Science and Technology Backyard Competition, part of China's Postgraduate Rural Revitalization Science & Technology for Agriculture Plus Innovation Contest, are now underway. A judging panel comprising agricultural experts and industry representatives conducted on-site evaluations of 29 science and technology backyard teams across over 10 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions including Beijing, Jilin, and Liaoning. The assessments covered operational performance, project effectiveness, teamwork, and stakeholder feedback, with customized guidance provided for addressing critical agricultural challenges.
A highlight of this year's competition is the "Academicians' Flying Squad." Wang Chong, Deputy Dean of China Agricultural University's College of Resources and Environmental Sciences and Secretary-General of the organizing committee, noted that the panel's recommendations offer valuable insights for the sustainable and high-quality development of these rural innovation hubs. PDD Holdings Inc has supported the event for three consecutive years, fostering knowledge exchange among young agricultural talents. Recently, PDD launched a "100 Billion Support" initiative, implementing measures to benefit farmers and businesses while building a mutually beneficial ecosystem. In agricultural research, the program continues backing science and technology backyards and related competitions to advance productive forces, diversify farm produce supply, and cultivate skilled rural innovators.
**From Chongqing's Grain Belt to Tropical Agricultural Waste Solutions** Liangping District in northeastern Chongqing, a national key grain production base, boasts nearly 1.03 million mu (68,667 hectares) of high-standard farmland and over 430,000 mu of rice paddies. The Chongqing Liangping Grain and Oil Science and Technology Backyard, established here in March 2024, focuses on improving yields and quality. "Local rice averages 533 kg per mu, with suboptimal premium grain rates, but the land holds untapped potential," said Yin Long, a student at the backyard. The team has set up 200 mu of experimental fields, initially facing skepticism from farmers about their urban academic background. Yet, through hands-on work—from hesitant first steps to wading barefoot into paddies—they developed a green industrial chain solution for the Mingyue Mountain region, identifying premium, health-focused, and processing-specific rice varieties while pioneering low-GI rice production technology.
During the evaluation, Academician Zhang Fusuo highlighted strong local government and large-scale farmer support as key to the backyard’s success in promoting standardized rice cultivation across 30,000 mu.
In Dongfang City, Hainan, rapid tropical agriculture growth has left hundreds of thousands of tons of agricultural waste underutilized, threatening soil quality. The Hainan Dongfang Organic Recycling Science and Technology Backyard tackled this by developing a high-temperature aerobic molecular membrane fermentation system. "This innovation cuts composting time from months to weeks while controlling pollution," explained graduate student Han Shu. Academician Zhang praised the model for bridging industrial and agricultural applications, providing students with full supply-chain experience.
**Innovative Competition Format Enhances Practical Impact** As a flagship event under China’s postgraduate rural revitalization initiative, the PDD Cup competition has drawn widespread attention since its May launch, with 247 teams applying. After preliminary rounds, 29 teams underwent field evaluations by the Academicians' Flying Squad, with 22 advancing to the finals.
The squad’s on-ground assessments brought a "thesis blind review" to farm fields, as described by Li Guangda of Dali Gusheng Village Science and Technology Backyard, offering participants rare expert feedback. This year’s competition introduced five thematic tracks—Technology Empowering Agriculture, Youth Supporting Farmers, Digital Benefits, Entrepreneurial Prosperity, and Multidimensional Integration—and a four-tier advancement system to maximize knowledge sharing.
Judges emphasized that high-quality development of science and technology backyards requires collaboration among academia, government, and enterprises. As a three-time sponsor, PDD deepened its involvement this year through evaluation support and resource integration. "We’ll continue merging platform resources with backyard innovations to root agricultural technology in rural communities," stated PDD’s project lead.