Jiangsu Launches "AI + Agriculture" Initiative to Boost Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Areas
On 5 March, the Jiangsu Provincial Promotion Conference on "AI + Agriculture" and the Meeting of Directors of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was held in Nanjing. It identified "AI + Agriculture" as a key task for the province’s agriculture and rural development in 2026 and officially launched the "AI + Agriculture 141" Initiative, aiming to deepen the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with modern agriculture and inject strong new impetus into the modernisation of agriculture and rural areas.
The meeting noted that AI has broad application prospects in the agricultural sector and is a key means to enhance overall agricultural production capacity and develop new agricultural productive forces. Currently, Jiangsu is focusing on the demand for high-quality agricultural development, targeting the entire chain of agricultural production, operation, management and services, concentrating efforts on breaking technological bottlenecks, expanding intelligent application scenarios, and promoting the transformation of the agricultural industry towards intelligence, precision and efficiency to support the building of a strong agricultural province.
The "141" Initiative, a key arrangement of the meeting, has mapped out a clear path for Jiangsu’s "AI + Agriculture" development. It specifies the establishment of one agricultural and rural decision-making, command and dispatch system. Relying on the "Su Nong Yun" (Jiangsu Agriculture Cloud) platform, the system will integrate advanced technologies such as remote sensing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI, improve the configuration of intelligent equipment including drones and high-definition cameras, and build an integrated air-land-sea intelligent dispatch platform shared by provinces, cities and counties to realise precise management of agricultural conditions and production scheduling.
Meanwhile, Jiangsu will develop four types of smart agricultural industry models, accelerating the upgrading of smart grain and oil, smart horticulture, smart animal husbandry and smart fishery. Tailored to the actual needs of operators such as large-scale farmers, cooperatives and agricultural enterprises, it will provide precise and personalised smart services to promote the quality and efficiency of characteristic agricultural industries. In addition, it will build one intelligent equipment support system, advancing the in-depth integration of intelligent agricultural machinery R&D with the operation chain, and supporting the high-quality development of the agricultural industry through equipment modernisation, making intelligent agricultural machinery the "main force" in agricultural production.
The meeting emphasised the need to highlight the dominant position of enterprises, select operators with sound foundations and high enthusiasm to carry out pilot projects, and strive to create a number of replicable and promotable typical models. By focusing on key points to drive overall progress, it will promote the effective implementation of "AI + Agriculture" work across the province and foster a sound development environment with full social participation and coordinated advancement.
At the meeting, relevant departments of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs interpreted the innovative development measures for "AI + Agriculture" in 2026 and detailed the application effects of AI technology in rice and wheat production, demonstrating the role of intelligent technology in improving agricultural production efficiency through practical cases. Units including Funing Yijia Grain Cooperative, Jiangsu Yike Food Co., Ltd. and Haian Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs delivered speeches on the innovative application of AI in crop cultivation and breeding, agricultural services and rural management, sharing their experience in smart agriculture construction and providing valuable references for provincial promotion.
The convening of this meeting marks that Jiangsu’s "AI + Agriculture" development has entered a systematic and standardised stage. With the gradual implementation of the "141" Initiative, AI technology will fully penetrate the entire agricultural chain, promoting the transformation of Jiangsu’s agriculture from "experience-driven" to "data-driven" and providing strong support for ensuring food security, increasing farmers’ income and advancing the comprehensive revitalisation of rural areas.
