Recently, the Heilongjiang Provincial Agricultural Society convened a seminar in Harbin focusing on technological empowerment for spring farming. Centered on the theme of artificial intelligence enhancing agricultural production, experts from universities and research institutions, leaders of agricultural enterprises, and farmer representatives engaged in open discussions to address practical challenges in technology implementation and collaboratively explore solutions.
"AI is transforming the world, and technology is shaping the future. This year's spring farming is critical for Heilongjiang Province as it advances its ten-million-ton grain production increase plan and aims to ensure an output capacity of 180 billion kilograms," stated Han Guiqing, Chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Agricultural Society and President of the International Black Soil Institute. He emphasized that convening this forum at such a pivotal moment aims to pool collective wisdom and leverage AI to translate research into practical outcomes that benefit farmers directly.
Liu Di, a Second-Grade Researcher at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, pointed out that insufficient integration between agricultural science and engineering disciplines, coupled with a shortage of professionals skilled in both AI and agriculture, represents a pressing obstacle to applying AI in farming. "Agricultural data will become a core factor of production. Only through effective integration and efficient utilization of data can AI technology genuinely enhance production quality and efficiency," she noted.
Chen Qingshan, Vice President of Northeast Agricultural University, who is leading a team conducting field research, observed a growing demand among farms and farmers for smart farming solutions. He highlighted that agricultural production is increasingly shifting toward data-driven approaches, requiring precise data support at every stage. "The expert guidance farmers need must be more targeted and practical than what general platforms offer," he added.
Xie Baosheng, Deputy Party Secretary of the Heilongjiang Academy of Land Reclamation Sciences, mentioned that farmers now use general AI tools to access agricultural knowledge, which raises the bar for scientific and technical personnel. "If our guidance does not differ from answers provided by generic AI tools and fails to address specific field conditions, then technological services lose their value," he remarked.
Zhang Fang, Chairwoman of Heliang Agricultural Group, proposed the creation of a "digital spring farming map" to provide farmers with precise guidance remotely. "By collaborating with meteorological, hydrological, and research institutions, we can develop a specialized digital map for Heilongjiang's spring farming. This would utilize data such as accumulated temperature and soil thaw depth to deliver region-specific optimal sowing windows and drought-resistant moisture conservation strategies," she explained.
Harbin Institute of Technology established a College of Agricultural Artificial Intelligence late last year. Su Jianfei, Vice Dean of the college, indicated that the institution will intensify research in embodied intelligence for smart agricultural machinery, biological mechanism interpretation for breeding models, and algorithm optimization for agricultural AI agents. He also called for deeper collaboration among universities, research institutes, and enterprises to enhance the generalization, practicality, and adaptability of large models, ensuring AI technologies meet the complex demands of field agriculture rather than remaining as theoretical demonstrations.