China backs AI, gene editing to bolster its food security in a risky new era
Beijing’s latest agriculture plan focuses on harnessing frontier technologies – from AI and gene editing to alternative food sources
China has published a blueprint for overhauling its vast agricultural sector over the next five years by harnessing an array of frontier technologies, as Beijing focuses on shoring up the nation’s food security in an era of rising geopolitical and climate volatility.
In its plan for the 2026-2030 period, the State Council said it would significantly strengthen research and development in the agricultural sector, setting a target of raising the contribution of technological advances to farm output by 3 percentage points to 67 per cent by the end of the decade.
The document, released on Tuesday, called for the wider adoption of artificial intelligence in agriculture, with plans to use the technology in areas including crop breeding, pest and disease detection, and yield forecasting.
“China has come a long way in agricultural technology, but there are still clear gaps in areas such as R&D intensity and basic research. The focus now needs to shift from simply spending more to innovating better,” said Liu Bingxin, an agricultural analyst at Huishang Futures.