Expert views/Who will do farming in the AI ​​generation?

World Food Day once again reminds the world that food safety risks still exist. More importantly, how to deal with the big problem of “who will do the farming” in the future? In particular, Taiwan is facing a serious long-term population shrinkage problem, and the rural population is also decreasing year by year. according toMinistry of Agriculture According to statistics, there are currently about 472,000 farmers, of which only 397,000 are main farmers and about 100,000 are young farmers.declining birth rate This trend has further affected the stable development of agriculture. Who will do farming in the future has become an important question.

Taiwan’s comprehensive food self-sufficiency rate has always been low, only about 30.7%, and there have been long-term food security concerns. At present, Taiwan’s traditional agriculture is not only facing severe shortage of workers, but also has to deal with many difficulties such as aging workforce, fragmented agricultural land, misappropriation of resources, persistent imbalance in production and sales, high dependence on imported bulk grains, and frequent natural disasters. In particular, farmers’ income from their industry is low, which reduces the willingness of the younger generation to work in agriculture. Stable supply of food will be a major problem in the future.

To solve the problem, there should be an imagined future scenario full of agricultural technology and modernity. Farmers are no longer laborers with their backs to the sky, but “white-collar farmers” dressed in ordinary clothes: they not only choose to plant stress-resistant varieties, but also have smartphones to monitor crop growth remotely via app, and can precisely control automated irrigation systems with a tap of the screen.

For example, renewable energy is used to run agricultural facilities; By adjusting the solar smart panels, the angle of sunlight is controlled to create the best growth environment for crops; Drones are activated for precise spraying; During the harvest season, robots are used to assist in harvesting, and combined with smart logistics, not only significantly reduce labor demand, increase the utilization rate of renewable energy and farmers’ income, but also reduce harm to the environment.

But if the dream is to come true, Taiwan’s agriculture will need to undergo comprehensive reforms in the future:

First, re-plan existing agricultural land to remove waste and retain the best, free up land that is not suitable for farming, and impose a land value-added tax to earmark tax funds for advanced agricultural infrastructure, subsidies for scientific and technological facilities, land rental subsidies for young farmers, and low-interest agricultural loans. Also, public agricultural land will be released when young farmers with advanced ideas and literacy are in a position to help solve their land rental dilemma.

Second, strengthen targeted support for young farmers. The government has always been accustomed to using subsidies to alleviate farmers’ grievances, which has had limited effect in solving the problem. Instead, it has missed its best opportunity for improvement. In the future, in addition to giving full support to young farmers in terms of policies and regulations, we should also provide technical, financial and other assistance.

For example, we establish “runners” with the introduction of new agricultural technologies to provide a full range of data, talent consultation, materials, advanced technology, stable financing, result scaling and market development and other support to farmers willing to invest in agricultural production technology innovation, which effectively solves the problem of “who will farm” in the future.

Furthermore, to truly implement agricultural policies, relevant government officials should pay close attention to whether various policies that benefit farmers have been implemented and have the expected benefits, and whether there are any obstacles or difficulties. They should also leave the air-conditioned rooms and go to the rural areas to listen to the voices of the farmers and know the feelings of the people, so that the farmers can feel more.

Finally, given that the popularization of smart agriculture depends on systematic engineering that introduces advanced technologies such as AI, Internet of Things and big data into agricultural land, there is a need for new farmers with new scientific and technological knowledge and skills. In terms of education and talent training for new farmers, teachers should have “cross-field integration capabilities” and “agricultural field practical experience” and plan practical internship courses to avoid learning-application gap and comprehensively enhance the immediate combat abilities of new farmers.

Only by facing problems and responding quickly can agriculture face the future, create new agriculture, meet food needs and reassure people.