The 2023 International Smart Agriculture Innovation Conference was held from Oct 18 to 20 in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. The event was hosted by the National Smart Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), and the East China Agricultural Science and Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Deng Xiaoming, director of the Rural Technology Development Center of China and Liu Xianwu, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, delivered speeches. Tang Huajun, member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress and deputy chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as the chairman of the conference.

Deng emphasized that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has deployed research projects in the field of smart agriculture, covering the entire agriculture value chain. After two years of research, significant achievements have been made. At the same time, it was proposed to determine the direction of technological research and development, establish research and development teams, and carry out technological research and development in accordance with market and product demands. The focus should be on coordinated projects, interdisciplinary integration, and the integration of scientific research and industrial systems. It is also necessary to enhance the training of young scientific and technological talents.

Through keynote speeches, special reports, product exhibitions, and field visits, the conference discussed the latest research progress in smart agriculture in China, to serve the rural revitalization strategy and the construction of agricultural and rural modernization.

Ten well-known academicians and experts including Cao Weixing, Luo Xiwen, Zhou Chenghu, Cao Fuliang, Song Baoan, Zhao Chunjiang, Qian Qian, and Zhou Wei delivered keynote speeches on topics such as unmanned farms, smart farming, breeding, agricultural big data and data intelligence, and smart agricultural machinery and equipment.

Liu proposed that smart agriculture is a knowledge and technology-intensive innovation system, and scientific and technological innovation is the foundation for the development and application of smart agriculture. Smart agricultural science and technology innovation is the need of the times, and it requires sincere cooperation, collaborative innovation, and integration from multiple aspects and levels.

At the conference, Wu Wenbin, secretary-general of the National Smart Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, released the top 10 technology recommendations of the alliance and the "MAP Cup" report on the technological development of smart agriculture (2021-2022). The top 10 recommendations include a new exploration of the alliance, with the goal of selecting and promoting new technologies, products, equipment, and models in the field of smart agriculture that are targeted, practical, and have high promotion potential, to comprehensively cultivate and expand the smart agriculture industry. Liu Jianbo, vice president of Sinochem Group China, announced the list of winners of the third "MAP Cup" Smart Agriculture Competition and presented awards.

The attendees visited the Future Smart Countryside and observed the field operation scenes of unmanned farms and A+ greenhouse workshops. In the field operation scene of unmanned farms, the integration of sky and ground monitoring platforms enable the collection and perception of field information from multiple sources. Through unmanned operation equipment and intelligent farming operation platforms, the automation and intelligence of core agricultural production processes are realized. The intelligent command and decision-making center of the smart field enables intelligent analysis of agricultural big data and optimization of decision-making. In the A+ greenhouse workshop, intelligent management and control of tomato's entire industry chain under the support of artificial intelligence and data is achieved through intelligent processes such as variety selection, seedling cultivation, production, and harvesting.

Nearly 600 participants from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, various provincial (city, district) government departments, research institutions, higher education institutions, and agricultural-related enterprises attended the conference.