Digital tech empowers rural revitalization in mountainous areas

GUIYANG -- Burgeoning digital technology is driving China's endeavor to better integrate it into the production and life of people in mountainous areas, as part of efforts to achieve rural revitalization.

At the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2023, advanced techniques, products, and achievements in the field of digital economy were showcased. The expo in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, runs from May 26 to May 28.

As the country's first national big data comprehensive pilot zone, Guizhou, where mountainous and hilly areas account for 92.5 percent of its total land space, has been promoting the big data industry as a backbone of its high-quality social and economic development.

Big data has injected impetus into rural industries in Guizhou, playing a vital role in eliminating poverty and improving people's livelihood.

For Huang Jiang, owner of a kiwi fruit orchard in Damu Village, Xiuwen County, his typical workday starts with checking and monitoring data on his mobile phone. With the help of digital technology, he can have access to real-time data collection of temperature, humidity, and soil moisture in his orchard, and choose an appropriate time for pruning, pollination, and fertilization.

"Big data monitoring really did me a favor, as I spent less time in my orchard after using it, but the output of kiwi fruit increased," said Huang. He plants over 1.3 hectares of kiwi fruit, which brings an income of over 100,000 yuan (about 14,132.28 U.S. dollars) per year.

As one of China's main producing areas of the kiwi fruit, Xiuwen has been leveraging digital technology to improve the output and quality of it. A total of 32 kiwi fruit orchards have been connected to a local big data platform via the Internet of Things technology, covering over 4,000 hectares, said Huang Yaxin, an official with the local government.

Consumers can trace the source of kiwi fruit by scanning the QR code on it, Huang introduced.

The use of big data technology in Guizhou has gradually changed the traditional mode of agriculture, which relied solely on farmers' experience and weather conditions, and this change is providing local farm produce with a competitive edge in the market, said an official with the provincial agricultural bureau.

Besides improving the income of residents in mountainous regions, the province has also used digital technology to initiate rural residents into public services.

In 2022, Guizhou started piloting a rural digital service platform in nine counties, through which rural residents can look up details about collective assets and apply for expense reimbursement just by using mobile phones.

In May, Zhang Yulin, an accountant in Qingjiang Village, Kaiyang County, one of the pilot counties in the first batch, spent only five minutes to get the fund he applied for to make advertising boards in the village.

"Before using the platform, I usually need to spend two or three days and get to many places to finish the process," said Zhang.

Over 360,000 rural residents in the county have registered as users of the platform, enjoying the convenience of getting useful information and public services, as well as participating in rural affairs without leaving home.

All these epitomize Guizhou's actions to bring benefits to more people in mountainous rural areas through digital innovation, creating experience that can be promoted over a wider range across the country.

In recent years, the "digital revolution" has been injecting new vitality into rural revitalization, building China's strength in agriculture and propelling modernization in rural areas, said a report released by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in February.

Efforts will be made to roll out and fine-tune supporting policies, regulations, management systems, and market mechanisms to support digitalization in rural areas, said Han Xu, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a sideline forum of the expo.