The revitalization of rural areas hinges on industrial development and is fundamentally driven by technology. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Shanghai has demonstrated notable achievements in agricultural technology. As blueprints for the "Zhangjiang Seed Valley," "Agricultural Technology Innovation Valley," and "Yangtze River Delta Agricultural Silicon Valley" gradually unfold in Shanghai, a key focus has emerged on how this megacity can leverage its technological strengths to forge a new engine for high-quality agricultural development. This topic became a hotly discussed issue among delegates during the recent Shanghai Two Sessions.
Despite progress in areas such as germplasm resource protection, enhanced breeding innovation capabilities, and the cultivation of seed industry enterprises, significant shortcomings remain. These include insufficient capacity for technological origination, lack of coordination, and the underdeveloped role of enterprises as primary innovators. A municipal representative pointed out that for Shanghai to lead in the agricultural technology race, it must strategically plan for high-risk, high-value basic research.
Breakthroughs in bio-breeding, often termed the "chip" of agricultural technology, are crucial for advancing agricultural modernization. However, investigations reveal a structural disconnect between research and the market in seed industry R&D. Research efforts are predominantly concentrated in universities and institutes, while corporate R&D capabilities are weak, leading to low efficiency in translating research into practical applications. The seed industry market also suffers from low concentration, with most companies limited to low-value-added activities such as contract propagation and distribution.
Furthermore, supporting service systems are inadequate. Basic-level agricultural technical services lack smart equipment, and there is insufficient investment in infrastructure like germplasm resource banks and seed testing laboratories. Financial products such as variety rights pledge financing and seed industry insurance are also missing.
Another observation is the existence of over 20 innovation platforms in Shanghai related to plant molecular genetics and breeding alone. However, these innovation entities often operate in isolation, with significant duplication in research content. The potential for differentiated, collaborative innovation among Shanghai's three agricultural "valleys" is not yet fully realized, and cross-provincial innovation linkages within the Yangtze River Delta region need strengthening, making it difficult to form a concerted force for tackling major challenges.
To address these issues, recommendations have been made. On the R&D front, leveraging the advantages of Zhangjiang Science City, technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital twins should be deeply integrated into agriculture. Interdisciplinary bio-breeding platforms should be established, with increased efforts to master frontier technologies such as gene editing and intelligent design breeding. The goal is to achieve breakthroughs in molecular breeding and core intelligent breeding technologies, while also establishing modern germplasm resource banks to uncover unique "genetic codes."
On the industrial side, policy guidance and market mechanisms should be used to cultivate and strengthen leading seed industry enterprises, supporting them to grow through mergers and acquisitions. Simultaneously, small and medium-sized enterprises should be encouraged to develop into specialized, refined, unique, and innovative entities.
Regarding the innovation ecosystem, Shanghai's financial strengths should be utilized to innovate financial products like variety rights pledge financing and seed industry insurance, thereby safeguarding innovation. On a broader scale, there is a call to accelerate the refinement of the top-level design for the three agricultural innovation "valleys," guiding them towards complementary and coordinated development integrated with modern seed industry development and facility agriculture zone construction.
Additionally, resources for agricultural technology research should be better integrated. This could involve establishing interdisciplinary research centers focused on new sectors like specialty genetic resources, bio-manufacturing, and modern facility agriculture to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. Exploring regional joint scientific and technological innovation plans to build a Yangtze River Delta agricultural innovation community, forming a collaborative model of "joint technology development—shared application scenarios," is also suggested.
Institutional and mechanistic constraints are also identified as major factors limiting the efficiency of agricultural technological innovation. Currently, agricultural technology innovation in Shanghai relies mainly on fiscal support, and a diversified investment mechanism involving multiple entities has not yet been formed. There is a lack of long-term, stable support for basic agricultural research, a misalignment between scientific achievements and industry needs, and a significant gap in the rate of成果转化 compared to developed countries.
To fully unleash agricultural innovation vitality, deepening institutional reforms is deemed necessary. This involves enhancing the understanding of agricultural research patterns and advancing reforms in the evaluation of agricultural research institutions and the classified assessment of scientific talent. Stable support for public-interest basic research should be increased, and a diversified investment system for agricultural technology innovation established. Strengthening the development of technology transfer service organizations and scientifically defining the rights to use, dispose of, and benefit from scientific achievements are also crucial to motivating researchers.
By fully leveraging Shanghai's advantages in technology, talent, and capital, a mechanism for agricultural technology成果转化 can be formed characterized by "technology empowerment, pioneering breakthroughs,率先 application, with R&D and pilot testing in Shanghai and mass production nationwide." This would continuously inject momentum into the high-quality development of Shanghai's urban modern agriculture.