BEIJING: High-quality farmers are playing a pivotal role in driving China’s comprehensive rural revitalization. According to People’s Daily Online report, China trained over 753,900 skilled farmers in 2022.

These new farmers boast expertise in culture, technology, and management – catalysing rural development. Statistics show the government has invested US$2.56 billion in training programmes for nearly 8 million people.

In 2022, the proportion of high-quality farmers with agricultural credentials and vocational qualifications rose 6.64 and 3.46 percentage points over 2021. Workforce strengthening incorporated new college and vocational graduates and returning migrant labourers.

Digital agricultural tools are also emerging, like at a Hubei cooperative doing pioneering high-yield rice cultivation. The head, Bi Lixia, built a smart farm leveraging advanced equipment for digitised operations.

Hu Yongwan, an agricultural broadcasting executive, said upgrading rural infrastructure and digital literacy are key f
or tech-driven revitalisation. Enhanced curriculum now includes mobile apps, e-commerce, and smart agriculture for modern skills.

Over 220 million farmers have received mobile training, with 18,900 taught livestreaming. A national cloud platform offers 8,400 online agricultural courses. Chongqing is conducting 200 digital farmer sessions over 5 years to train 20,000 talents.

Hu said skilled farmers crucially integrate individuals into modern agriculture. In 2022, 71.76 percent assisted neighbours with guidance and sales, rising 6.72 percentage points.

To aid revitalisation, agricultural colleges now access funding and content from 100 top teachers. In 2022, 41,000 studied agricultural vocational education, with 65,000 total enrolled.

Source: Emirates News Agency