China enhances food security through land consolidation and digital farming

Chinese farmers are increasing agricultural productivity by consolidating small land plots and adopting digital monitoring tools.

In the county-level city of Pinghu in Zhejiang Province, Wang Shiping expanded his farming operation from 100 mu to over 600 mu by utilizing larger, consolidated blocks of land. These changes replaced small, fragmented plots that were difficult to cultivate efficiently. The government is also improving rural infrastructure to support these larger fields.

New concrete roads allow trucks to drive directly into fields, enabling harvesters to load grain onto vehicles immediately. These physical improvements work alongside new digital services. Cheng Guishang, head of a digital agricultural service team, uses satellite remote sensing and drones to create visual maps of crop health. These maps show farmers which areas need attention through different colors. These local changes reflect a national strategy to secure food for a large population on limited land.

The Chinese government plans to emphasize agricultural science and technology during the 15th Five-Year Plan period from 2026 to 2030. The country aims to increase its overall grain production capacity to around 1.45 trillion jin during this period.