146 Developments and Applications of Agricultural Information Technology of China

Developments and Applications of Agricultural

Information Technology of China

Xia Tongshui

Zhao Yuanfeng Ph.D

School of Business Administration, Shandong Finance Institute, Jinan, 250014, China Scientech document and Information Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,

Beijing, 100080, China

Abstract: This paper introduces the applications of information technology to agriculture in developed countries, analyzes the problems and gaps in the development of information Technology of China, and states several suggestions to promote the development of agricultural information technology. For example, making efforts to promote many kind of cooperation, encouraging the research and development of agricultural electronic products and so on.

Keywords: agricultural information technology; applications & developments

Nowadays Information techniques are broadly applied to every aspect of agriculture. It has been bringing the changes of agricultural management, production and distribution and the changes of agricultural science, technology and education. New information techniques show a bright future of applications and create many new unprecedented chances for the development of this weak industry of agriculture. Information technology, as a forerunner of new agricultural technological revolution, can mix many single techniques to form new and high innovations, which drive agricultural and rural areas’ science & technology to advance. Agricultural information techniques have become the most effective means & tools for enhancing agricultural productivity and for making use of full agricultural resources. Agricultural information technology had been developing fast in all countries of the world, especially in developed countries.

1 Agricultural Applications of Information Technology in Developed Countries

1.1 Applications of 3S techniques

Information techniques that were earliest applied to agriculture are remote sensing (RS), global positioning system (GPS) and geographical information system (GIS), (called 3S techniques). Currently, 3S techniques have been broadly applied to the management of agricultural production, such as estimating output of crops, tin monitoring the state & trend of plant & animal’ growing, weather forecast and Inspection of plant diseases and pests, fine fertilization, irrigation, dynamic imitation modeling of general operation of agriculture. It is an uptrend that 3S techniques try to serve agriculture management system harmonically by integration of 3S techniques.

1.2 Development of Precision Farming

Precision Farming firstly appeared at 1970s in the United States. Based on the well-known fact that conditions of different farmlands are quite different in different places, the concept of Precision Farming technique is that the operations of soils should precisely adapt to the diversity of different farmlands by integration of many high techniques. Precision Farming can effectively save input, reduce cost and abate the aftereffects to environment. The object to be controlled in Precision Farming is the soil, not a piece of land. The supporting techniques include: positioning system of vehicles in field, databases related to crop planting & nursing, GIS and planting models, transducing techniques for field information collection and mechanism control. Up to now, about 5% of farms have adopted the Precision Farming system in the US. Precision Farming has foreshowed the potential, wisdom and power of mankind in utilizing natural resource and protecting environment.

1.3 Applications of computer network systems

146

Computer network systems changes quickest among all information techniques. Information Express Ways are rapidly stretching to rural areas in developed countries.

In the United States, computer, as a sign of information times, is very popular anywhere. Farmers use computers to do bookkeeping and to make operation decisions. Computers can aid farms to analyze when and what kind crop should be planted and which farming mode is the best, then farms can get the maximum outputs and benefits. Farmers in the United States are linked with mass information flow. A computer can be connected with Internet through a telephone line. A farm at home then has the access to the database of governmental information centers, universities, research institutes and libraries, can get the latest data of price fluctuations, seed melioration, new type of agricultural machines and prevention and treatment of plant diseases and pests and so on

A statistic investigation in 1997 shows that 40% of farms owned computers, of them, 47% of farmers used Internet, and 20% of big commercialized farms were on Internet in the US. The United States has set up the AGNET, which is the largest computer network system of agriculture in the world. This system covers with all 46 States of the America, 6 provinces of Canada and other 7 countries out of the US. England has also set up the AGRINET, which is an agricultural network covering with all areas of the country. Besides, CAPTAIN of Japan, CISC of Australia and EPIPRE of Holland are all famous information networks of agriculture.

In the year 2000, 34% of farmers had their personal computers in Japan, and 12.2% of them were connected with Internet. Based on the techniques of information processing and communication, Japanese manages to add vigor to their rural areas and to develop agriculture and informationization of rural areas. In Japan, Computers have been widely used in farming, crop breeding, conservation of crops and forest, silkworm business and insect utilization, agricultural weather report, agricultural operations, agricultural product processing and so on. In early1990s, Japan set up the National Networks of agricultural Technological and Information Service, DRESS----a real time control system operated by a Telecom & Telephone Company. This network can collect, process, memorize and transfer information form across all the country. Each county has founded a DRESS branch where information can be collected and transferred promptly. In recent two years, the Agricultural Technological Information System (ATIS) has been developed. By dint of public telephone networks, specialized communication networks, wireless calling networks, AITS makes high-capacity computers, large database systems, Internet network systems, weather information systems, unmanned management system of greenhouse, effective management system of production and personal computer users connected with each others. Administrative officials (from top director to common clerks), researchers and technical promoters (from senior research fellows to ordinary technicians), agricultural associations and farmers can search or use any data of the Internet any time. These data include agricultural techniques, literature abstracts, market information, plant disease & pests and their forecasts, weather conditions and forecasts, maps of the world, homeland & a county or even a small village, electronic newspapers and periodicals, audio & video programs, public software etc. From top provincial sector of agriculture, forest, aquatic products through common technicians of countryside, all of them are equipped with computers. Generally, each technician of agriculture has own computers at their offices. Computer plays the roles of scientific calculation, data processing, automata, and simulation modeling for agriculture.

1.4 Exploitations of expert system, modeling system and intelligent information system

Intelligentized expert system of agriculture is the dominant part of agricultural information techniques abroad. In late 1970s, the United States had begun to develop agricultural expert system. Currently, there are nearly one hundred agricultural expert systems to be widely applied to production and management of crops, feedstuff prescription for livestock and birds, conservation of water and soil, financial analyses, choice of agricultural machines. Some of these systems have become products to sell in market.

It has been more than 30 years since agricultural simulation modeling were explored. This kind of study touches many macro & micro areas, such as population growth, resource utilization, energy resource consuming, agricultural ecology and crop management, etc. The technology of crop management has been put into use.

The United States, Canada and Australia have been advancing in the world in the study of intelligentized farming mechanisms and automatic facilities. The United States has popularly used intelligent tractors with GRS and Computer. On the mass dessert of Arizona, the US installed drop and sprinkle irrigation facilities, which are the biggest equipment of the world and computer controlled the operation.

Modern Information system of stock farm management is one of the realms where techniques of

147

intelligentization and automation are used earliest and most effectively. Now an excellent system of dairy management has had the following functions. (A) Auto-identifiers of milk numbering, which is the groundwork of auto information system. (B) Automatically recording and memorizing of milk output; rational feeding based on the daily turnout of a milch cow. (C) Measuring metabolism indicators, auto inspection of health, auto measuring and recording of weight, auto detecting of body temperature, mastitis symptom and oestrum. (D) Management of each cow’s individual information such as their files, generations, histories of life, turnout and health, this is a groundwork of fine breeding. (E) Economical & financial information analyses and management of cattle farm.

1.5 Rapid developments of service technology of agricultural information

With the development of information technology, the service technology of agricultural information develops rapidly too. Especially, networks of agricultural sci & tech literature, and databases of agricultural information change even faster. Currently more than 1200 periodicals and 300 thousand papers are put on Internet each year. More and more large databases, such as AGRICOLA, AGRIS, CAB and so on have been opened.

In Germany, mainly three computer networks carry out agricultural information services. The first one is an electronic data management system (EDV), which is developed and operated by Agriculture Bureau of each state. When users connect their computers or TV sets with EDV through a phone line and pay, they can get the information anytime about crop growth, techniques of preventing and treating plant diseases and pests, and information of producer market. The second is a TV text display service system (BTX), which is developed and operated by the Post Office. Users need to buy a computer and keyboard of BTX, and connect them with a TV set and a phone line, then they can get agricultural technical information services through the communication networks of the Post Office. The third one is the database system of plant protection (PHYTOMED), which is developed and set up by the Research Center of Agricultural & Forest Biology. The host of this system is the high capacity computer of National Computation Center of Germany. All users connected with the host can search the information of agricultural technology information.

2 Status Quo of Agricultural Information Technology of China

The research of agricultural information technology began in early 1980s in China. There have been many prominent achievements through the efforts in last 20 years.

2.1 Applications of 3S techniques

It was early 1980s that China began to apply remote sensing technique to agriculture, that early study was to estimate crop’s output through remote sensing. There have made many crucial progresses in the forecast, inspection and evaluation of agricultural calamities and in the probe, evaluation, layout and management of agricultural resources. The research of applications of GIS and GPS to agriculture started later, but developed quickly. These techniques have been widely applied to the measurement of agricultural resources, forecast and prediction of plant diseases & pests and other harms to agriculture.

2.2 Researches on expert system

China began to study expert system in late 1970s. During Eighth-Five and Ninth-Five plans, National 863 Project, National Commission of Science & Technology, National Foundation of Natural Sciences and other administrative sectors of China sponsored a lot of studies on expert system. Hefei Institute of Intelligence of Chinese Academy of Sciences has begun the applied study of agricultural expert system since 1983, and developed a lot of practical techniques, which were listed as national important popularized high techniques in 1992. Intelligentized applied system of agriculture had been arranged as one of the programs of 863 Project in Eighth-Five period. Currently a series of software of agricultural expert system have been put into probation. It would lay a sound foundation for the further studies of agricultural expert system and decision support system of production & management. Since National 863 Project began to develop the demonstrative applied engineering of intelligentized agriculture information techniques in 1996, many agricultural technical applied systems & practical tools with high technology and knowledge proper rights have been developed successfully. More than 100 agricultural intelligent applied systems, such as food, fruit trees, vegetables, farming and aquatic products etc, have been set up successively. Intelligent expert system has been widely popularized. Demonstrative areas of this intelligent system have increased to 20 province from 4 provinces at beginning. Accumulative total demonstrative areas reached to 20

148

million-Mu, affected and spreading areas are 100 million- Mu.

Expert system plays important roles in agricultural management in different demonstrative areas. The outputs are boosted, economic conditions of farmers are improved, and economic benefits are quite prominent.

2.3 Construction of agricultural information resource database

China has constructed a lot of databases of agricultural information resource. Databases of information of agricultural resources, titles of literature papers, statistic data and market changes were finished during Seventh-Five ” and “Eighth-Five” plans. These databases sever to the layouts, statistics, decisions and research of national macro economy. The representative databases of system development and application include, (A) China Agricultural and Forestry Literature Database. (B) Database of Paper Abstracts in Agriculture. (C) Database of Crop Species, (D) Database of Product list of Agricultural Products and Byproducts processed finely. (D) Database of Plant Quarantine and Names of plant diseases & pests. (F) Database of Science & Technology of Farming, Herding and Fishery, (G) Integrative Database of Stock Raising. (H) Database of National Agricultural Economic Statistics. (I) Database of Market Prices of Primary Products, Database of Agricultural Economic Cooperation and so on. At the same time, four large databases were introduced into China. They are AGRIS (agricultural information system of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nationals), IFIS (International Food Information System), AGRICOLA (a database operated by the US Ministry of Agriculture), CABI (database of the Center of Agricultural Biology International). The Introduction of these four large databases provides mass information resources about international agriculture. It is very helpful to the improvements and developments of Chinese agricultural databases, and helps all Chinese agricultural operators to have a better understanding of agricultural science and technology, and agricultural production trends of the world. It also promotes advancement of database technology of China.

2.4 Agricultural information service technology

Construction of agricultural information infrastructure, as a composing part of national economic information system, has been carrying through more rapidly than before. China, from National Ministry, local province through counties, and basic-point & trial counties, has laid good foundations of Tele & local area networks of agricultural. All provincial agricultural sectors have set up their local area networks. All 29 provinces (municipalities) have opened their information stations on Internet. 260 cities of all total 333 ones have set up their organizations of agricultural information service. 1210 counties of all total 2800 ones have set up their organizations of agricultural information services, and set up 315 local area networks and 460 Tele-networks. 7000 towns of total 43000 ones have set up their departments of agricultural information service (most of them are in agricultural integrative service station or agricultural economic station.). Techniques of computer multimedia, information networks and information management automatization have been more and more widely applied to every aspect of agricultural information service.

3 Existing Problems of China in Development of Agricultural Information Technology

3.1 The collective level of agricultural information technology is not high enough in China

Although some research achievements are advanced in China, there are still many problems, such as the mismatches of techniques, singleness of research item, ambiguity of common goals, narrow applications of technology, shortage of integrative research of multidiscipline, lack of suitable techniques for redeveloping agricultural information system. Some studies pointed out that the gap between China and other developed countries in computer technology is about 20 years.

Currently, the applied researches of information technology mainly aim at top management of China. There are few techniques that can directly serve farmers or agricultural production. This is quite different from that of developed countries. Different departments, different units carry their studies separately, lacking cooperation, and difficult to turn out good products well suitable to market. Popularity rate of computer is still very low in agricultural basic units. The integrative R & Ds of weighty information technology related to agricultural development need to be harmonized by top decision-makers of science and technology. Technicians of agricultural information system are not enough, and abilities of research and development are not strong too.

149

3.2 Low degree in informationization and networking

Although Golden Agriculture Project has been entirely started up, and constructions of all kinds of information networks and express ways have been expedited, there is a problem of imbalance developments in different areas. There are still many works to do to link up all users of provinces, cities, counties, towns and farmers. Some databases and software can not be used on the Internet, and some information techniques were not designed to run under the environment of Internet. These factors restrict the popularization and application of information technology.

3.3 Shortage of professional researchers and developers of agricultural information

technology and the ability of utilizing information technology is still weak

Information techniques, as a branch of high technologies, need many high professionals to develop and to utilize. There are few people who know both economy and information technology in China. If one is an expert of agricultural, usually he or she doesn’t know information techniques, or a professional in technology doesn’t know enough knowledge about agriculture. Many technical professionals have to leave agricultural industry, because they don’t know agriculture and cannot carry out big research projects.

4 Orientations of Agricultural Information Technology Development in China

The development of agricultural information technology must follow the concept that development is driven by application, facing specific situations of China, and paying more attentions to the practicality and benefits.

4.1 Based on agriculture

To promote cooperation among relating research subjects and sectors, especially the cooperation between the technical experts and agricultural experts, to promote the constructions of demonstrative projects of agricultural information service system, which directly face and serve farmers. In developed rural regions, try to develop and demonstrate the integrative networking service system of agricultural information. Attracted by the goals of economy & society, goals of agricultural production increase, and construction of agricultural integrative bases, try to more effectively support the research of agricultural expert system and information engineering, to generalize the current good research results, and lead the applied research to develop in depth and industrialization.

4.2 Encouraging the research and development of agricultural electronic products

Relying on the current development level of rural areas, the ability of accepting new technology and the demand of technology market, try to develop suitable techniques, which can bring benefits quickly and easily. We can learn and absorb the practical techniques, which were popularized in developed countries, and the good experience from technical developments and alterations of other close industries. Going to farms and agricultural enterprises, try to understand the requirements of them, then will find many good research topics. Try to develop the facilities that can be used in many ways, that can match with others, that can adapt to the bad surrounding of rural areas, and that are in low cost farmers can afford. Teach farmers to use information techniques correctly.

4.3 National administrative sectors of science and technology should advisably support

some big research projects that have a bright future of applications.

The imbalance of different areas in rural economic development of China determines different demand levels of agricultural science and technology. While developing suitable applied techniques, China should pay some attentions to the basic researches that have good future applications. Researches on electronic products for farming, standardization of software, quality checkout, and evaluating methods of technological economy has attracted views of many countries. When modern information theory, cybernetics, emulational techniques, aid design techniques, data processing techniques are applied to solving the theoretical and practical problems of agricultural systematic simulation, many new areas need to be developed imminently.

150

4.4 Strengthening the constructions of national information networks

National Information Networks are foundations of development & application of agricultural information resource and information technology. Agricultural informationization and application of information technology mainly rely on the National Information Networks.

Speeding up the construction of “Golden Agriculture Project”. Apart from the main investments of the central government of China, all local governments and agricultural sectors need to increase investments to set up regional or partial networks, and connect them with national main networks, to realize that agricultural technicians, managers and farmers are connected with Internet

4.5 Building up bases of agricultural information networks, promoting the

demonstration and popularization of agricultural information technology

Selecting the areas where people have good consciousness of information, and information facilities are better, set up demonstrative bases of agricultural information technology. Organize experts in agriculture, information and economy, and let them join the layout and implements of agricultural information technology construction. Make the development of information technology track the developing road of “testing--spreading”. Test techniques through application, and generalize experience, popularize the mature techniques.

4.6 Cultivating more professionals, heightening all people’s cognition of information

Universities and colleges may launch the specialty of agricultural inofrmationization to bring up bachelor, master or doctoral students. At the same time, try to attract oversea professionals in information technology by improving domestic work conditions. Moreover, reinforcing the drumbeating for information science, through manifold methods, such as training, demonstration, and visiting. Heighten people’s cognition information, especially the cognition of leaders. Build up the concept that information is a kind of important resource, boost the capability of information processing step by step. At last, make information change to real material wealth.

References

1 Liu, S. H., Liu, S. S., Pei, C. Q, Application and Development of Agricultural Information System of the United States

2 Masayuki Hirafuji, A Concept of Advanced IT Agricultural in Japan, Promotion Global Innovation of Agricultural Science & Technology and Sustainable Agriculture Development Session 6: Information Technology of Agriculture, Edited by the Organizing Committee, ICAST 2001/11

3 Yuan, H, J., Zheng, H. W., Agricultural Information Service System of the United States, Shdong Agricultural Sciences, 2001, 2

4 Xue, L, Fang, Y, Agricultural Informationziation, Jing-hua Publishing House, February, 1998 5 Zhao, P, Agricultural Informationziation on Entering 21 Century, Economic Science Press, 2000,6

6 Zhang, Y. L., Zheng, J. P., Chen, Z. Y., 2001, An Analysis of Status quo of Information Technology and its Developmental Strategies of China. Journal of Zhejiang University, 2001, 2

151