Modes and Approaches of Promoting Rural Revitalization by Science and Technology Commissioners: A Case Study of Science and Technology Commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Institute of Crop and Nuclear Technology Utilization, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China

Abstract The modes and approaches of promoting the implementation of strategy for rural revitalization based on agricultural science and technology commissioner system were studied by taking Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences as an example. The relevant modes and approaches were summarized, such as giving full play to the expertise of science and technology commissioners to promote the prosperity of rural industries, promoting ecological livable construction based on modern agricultural science and technology, promoting rural civilization based on agricultural science and technology, and promoting the construction of rural good governance based on advanced productivity. Besides, agricultural science and technology commissioners use the three elements of "people, technology, and money" to promote the enhancement of agricultural efficiency, farmers’ income, and the prosperity of life and then the coordinated development of rural revitalization.

Key words Science and technology commissioner, Rural revitalization, Service mode and approach

1 Introduction

In the Document No.1 of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China and the State Council in 2018, theOpinionsoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChinaandtheStateCouncilontheImplementationofStrategyforRuralRevitalization, it is emphasized that important progress will be made in rural revitalization, and the institutional framework and policy system will be basically formed by 2020; by 2035, decisive progress will be made in rural revitalization, and agricultural and rural modernization will be basically realized; by 2050, the countryside will be fully revitalized, and the goals of making agriculture strong, the countryside beautiful, and farmers rich will be fully realized. Practice in various places in the implementation of strategy for rural revitalization shows that the most indispensable elements are people, technology, and money. Of course, people refer to various human resources. Technology mainly refers to various technical elements in the construction of modern agriculture. Money mainly means increasing agricultural efficiency and farmers’ income through the development of modern agriculture and supporting the comprehensive development of rural revitalization. The science and technology commissioner system is a major institutional innovation in the development of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" supported by China’s science and technology. In 1999, Nanping City, Fujian Province, began to send agricultural science and technology personnel to the countryside to serve as science and technology commissioners. In 2003, The General Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government issued theNoticeonSendingScienceandTechnologyCommissionerstoLessDevelopedTownsandVillages(Zhezhengbanfa[2003] No.13)[1]. In 2004, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Personnel jointly issued theSeveralOpinionsonthePilotWorkofBasic-levelEntrepreneurshipActionsofScienceandTechnologyCommissionersOpinions(Guokefazhengzi[2004]No.542), which has been gradually promoted throughout the country[2]. Science and technology commissioners entering the countryside can bring various resource elements to rural revitalization, and play a positive role. In this paper, the modes and approaches of promoting the implementation of strategy for rural revitalization based on agricultural science and technology commissioner system were studied by taking Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences as an example.

2 Giving full play to the expertise of science and technology commissioners to promote the prosperity of rural industries

Prosperity of industry is the basic essence and basis of rural revitalization. Various scientific and technological talents are needed to lead and train local key farmers to use modern agricultural science and technology to transform and graft traditional agriculture, change traditional production methods, accelerate the adjustment and optimization of agricultural industrial structure, promote rural economic and social development, and realize the prosperity of rural industries.

2.1PromotingthedevelopmentofmodernagricultureScience and technology commissioners use their own advantages, focus on agriculture, support the development of local characteristic industries in towns and villages, cultivate leaders of farmers’ cooperatives and agricultural leading enterprises, use science and technology projects as carriers, utilize demonstration bases and technical training, introduce and promote new varieties and technologies to raise the scientific and technological consciousness and skills of growers, guide the construction of high-quality grain and oil bases and demonstration bases of alpine vegetables, edible fungi, high-quality fruits and underwater breeding, promote the improvement of agricultural quality and efficiency, and effectively promote the construction and development of modern agriculture.

As science and technology commissioners in Nanxun District, Huzhou City, professor Zhu Guofu andetal. from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences introduced the mechanized seed production technology of rice in the whole process, and assisted farmers to establish Nanxun Shuanglin Huinong Grain and Oil Professional Cooperative, Nanxun Shuanglin Zhaojiadou Rice Professional Cooperative, and Nanxun Tianshi Rice Planting Professional Cooperatives. They use technological advantages to build Nanxun District into one of the main production bases for hybrid seeds in the province’s seed industry, and have developed regulations on the seed production technology of indica-japonica hybrid rice and hybrid rape. The yield of produced seeds is leading in the province. From 2013 to 2017, the area of seed production and multiplication was up to 1 000 ha, and 4.5 million kg of rice and rapeseed seeds were produced; the cumulative direct economic benefit brought by seed production was more than 14 million yuan, driving the industry of hybrid seeds in Huzhou and surrounding areas. About 46 933.3 ha of improved varieties were promoted, accounting for more than 25% of the total area in Nanxun District. The yield of rice and rape increased by 17.215 and 1.95 million kg respectively, and farmers’ income rose by 62.727 million yuan. Farmers’ enthusiasm for grain and oil production has been increased, and social and economic benefits are significant. Therefore, science and technology commissioners promote the prosperity of rural industries, which is the fundamental driving mechanism for the development of modern agriculture, thereby promoting the sustainable development of rural revitalization.

2.2PromotingleisureagricultureandruraltourismFor rural revitalization, it is necessary to not only retain farmers and promote rural modernization but also attract people, especially consumers from cities. It is very important to use agricultural and rural resources to develop rural tourism. In the "Central Document No.1", it is repeatedly emphasized that it is necessary to develop characteristic rural tourism, such as excavating rural ecological leisure, tourism, culture and education value, support the construction of a number of characteristic landscape tourism villages and towns with historical, regional and ethnic characteristics, create diverse forms of rural tourism and leisure agricultural products with distinct characteristics, increase investment in the construction of rural tourism and leisure infrastructure, enhance online and offline marketing capability, and improve management and service quality.

The team of science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences uses creative agriculture as the carrier to actively promote the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism in various places. Rape is the main oil crop in Zhejiang Province. When a large area of rape blooms in various places, it will attract tourists from the surrounding cities to come and enjoy the flowers. Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences uses the advantages of science and technology to introduce the genes of different flower colors such as white and purple into high-yield rape varieties by traditional hybridization methods, and cultivate rape varieties that can bloom without vernalization. High-yield and high-quality rapes varieties with multiple flower colors and different flowering periods are promoted by relevant science and technology commissioners throughout the province and widely welcomed by farmers, which promotes the development of local leisure agriculture and rural tourism. Similarly, scientific and technological personnel plan and design high-yielding rice varieties with different leaf colors, and plant them on a large scale to form various characters and patterns in the villages with special commissioners. A single high-yield paddy field has become a beautiful field, and the poorly-resourced village has suddenly become a pleasant tourist destination. Leisure agriculture has attracted a steady stream of tourists to go sightseeing, not only guaranteeing the benefit of grain and oil crops, but also dressing up the countryside, developing rural tourism industry, and increasing the marketing of agricultural products. In the past three years, science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and their team constructed 12 rural tourism demonstration sites based on creative agriculture in relevant counties and cities, attracting 3.55 million urban and rural tourists and creating economic benefit of 180 million yuan.

3 Promoting ecological livable construction based on modern agricultural science and technology

Agricultural non-point source pollution is one of the important contents in the transformation of rural human settlement environment, and it is also an important part to promote the construction of ecological livability. Daitou Village, Yecun Township, Songyang County is the most remote small village in the county. In the village, most of young adults go out to work, and there are 50 or 60 elderly people without labor. Planting trichosanthes (TrichosantheskirilowiiMaxim) saves time and effort, and it is planted once every four years. Apart from picking and processing, there is basically little management and usually no worry about selling. Farmers originally planted trichosanthes on mountain farmland. Once the picking period of trichosanthes is reached every year, the dirty water discharged from the washing of seeds will flow along the stream to pollute the source of drinking water and cause serious water pollution. In order to protect the local ecological environment and ensure a steady increase in farmers’ income, Professor Ye Shenghai from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a science and technology commissioner in Songyang County, leads local farmers to use cold mountain climate to plant pollution-free green rice, plants the high-quality rice varieties of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences "Zhejing 88" and "Mingzhu No.4" using early and sparse sowing and double-reduction cultivation technology of pesticides and fertilizers to control the yield at about 6 000 kg/ha. Due to fertile land and abundant streams, high altitude, warm day and cool night, more than 10 ha of high-quality rice soon gains market recognition. In order to make villagers get more benefits, Songgu Tianyuan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. has been introduced to realize the integrated development of "planting-sightseeing-processing-sales". Throughout the year, the scenery of alpine paddy fields and rape flowers changes, and becomes a beautiful place for tourists to visit and take photos. It draws a beautiful picture of idyllic farming, and explains the farmers’ belief that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

Facts show that modern agriculture and ecological livability are closely linked, indivisible, and mutually reinforcing. The change of planting model can not only effectively improve rural ecological environment and develop leisure agriculture and rural tourism, but also promote farmers to consciously accelerate the pace of ecological livability in all aspects.

4 Promoting rural civilization based on agricultural science and technology

On the one hand, rural civilization is reflected in the integration of traditional civilization and modern civilization in the daily life of farmers. On the other hand, the modern spirit of contract is used to promote the development of agricultural industrialization, and the development of agricultural industrialization is used to enhance farmers’ income and promote rural civilization. Using the advanced experience and the advantages of agricultural production technology, the agricultural science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences guide local agricultural leading enterprises to choose the best crop varieties and corresponding planting production technologies, and conduct high-quality and high-yield production demonstration locally to attract and lead local farmers to ensure the stable development of leading agricultural enterprises in the form of "agricultural leading enterprises + farmers". Meanwhile, the orders of the enterprises are ensured, and corporate profits are shared in time. Moreover, farmers’ agricultural products can be sold in time.

As a special commissioner in Zhangcun Township, Qingtian County, professor Bao Chonglai from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences counsels local agricultural leading companies in a poor mountainous area 70 km from the county seat, and introduces a new variety of eggplant "Zheqie No.1" and gave farmers door-to-door technical guidance. Leading agricultural enterprises are responsible for sales, and all farmers who have signed an agreement with the enterprises will sell eggplant through the enterprises no matter how the market price changes. The enterprises provide packaging, brands, seeds, organic fertilizer,etc., so that farmers can not only get stable sales of their products, but also save various agricultural procurement costs. From 2005 to 2015, the planting area of eggplant grew from less than 13.33 ha to more than 66.67 ha; the average income increased from 45 000 to 120 000 yuan/ha, and the average acreage income of many demonstration households even reached 240 000 yuan/ha. In the more than 10 years, farmers’ income increased by more than 48 million yuan, and eggplant industry has become one of agricultural pillar industries in Zhangcun Township. The effective cooperation between farmers and leading agricultural enterprises through eggplant cultivation has not only improved economic benefits, but also cultivated the contract spirit of modern civilization. At the same time, it has also promoted the promotion of traditional cultures. Bao Chonglai also won the honorary titles of Zhejiang Provincial Feat Science and Technology Commissioner, Zhejiang Provincial Agricultural Science and Technology Achievement Transformation and Promotion Award, and the Third Moral Model of Zhejiang Provincial Organs, and was included in the "List of Good People in Zhejiang" in April 2015[3]. Professor Wu Jiang, a science and technology commissioner of grape team, taught wiping buds and picking cores to farmers, and helped them to build a grape garden (the area is 14.67 ha) in Xiajiang Village, Chun’an County. "Xiajiang grape" has become a characteristic brand of modern agriculture in Zhejiang Province and one of the key points of small fruit picking tour in the village. The rural tourism and rural customs of Xiajiang Village are famous throughout the country. Therefore, the work of agricultural science and technology commissioners can not only promote the prosperity of industry, but also promote the coordinated development of ecological livability and rural civilization.

5 Promoting the construction of rural good governance based on advanced productivity

Under the guidance and assistance of science and technology commissioners, how to construct farmers’ professional cooperatives to promote the standardization and normalization of agricultural production, promote the development of modern agriculture and the popularization of rural laws with the popularization of agricultural laws based on theLawontheQualitySafetyofAgriculturalProductsofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaand other regulations on the safety of agricultural products, comprehensively improve the level of legalization in rural areas, and promote good governance in rural areas are also one of the important explorations in the work of science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the new period. Professor Qi Xingjiang from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a science and technology commissioner in Lanxi, took Lanxi City’s special fruit industry upgrading team as the carrier, combined with agricultural law education, and actively promoted the safe production technology of special agricultural products, and achieved remarkable results. Taking bayberry as an example, the team developed a model of bayberry high-efficiency production in accordance with national industry standards, promoted standardized production techniques such as soil testing and formulated fertilization and integrated pest prevention and control, and carried out training in science and technology and agricultural law and various technical and material services based on the training center for farmers’ homes, fostered the docking of scientific and technological services composed of local agricultural technicians and experts, promoted reshaping and pruning, application of organic fertilizers, and actively used insecticidal lamps and yellow boards, and bayberry green production technology with high efficiency, low toxicity and low residue of pesticides. At the same time, in cooperation with the local government and producers, during the maturity of bayberry fruit, it will focus on the entry defense line of pesticides, fertilizers and other inputs. The use of any pesticides and nutrient solutions is banned one month before harvest. Agricultural law enforcement personnel check the supply of agricultural materials at random at any time to prevent illegal drug sales and application. The inspection and supervision defense line should be constructed. The team of commissioners work with the province, municipalities, towns and townships, and major cooperatives to jointly establish a four-level quality safety monitoring point that is equipped with inspection personnel and equipment. In the mature season, a combination of routine and doing a rush job is adopted to detect the whole process from the base to the market. It is necessary to establish a defense line for safe production, sign theCommitmentLetterofAgriculturalProductQualitySafetywith big bayberry planting households and cooperatives, and issue circulars and notices. Towns and townships organize quality supervisors to conduct inspections on the mountains throughout the harvest period. Once agricultural chemicals use during the prohibited period or unqualified testing is found, all transactions are prohibited. Based on the digital agricultural platform co-constructed with Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the main bases are supervised throughout the entire process to build a supervision line for the entire process. In the past three years, the team promoted the safe production technology of local characteristic fruits such as bayberry, loquat, and big red persimmon. The cumulative promotion area was 1 666.67 ha, with an average efficiency increase of 24 675 yuan/ha, and the annual income per capita of fruit farmers who participated directly increased by 7 175 yuan; a total of 10 100 fruit farmers were trained; the cumulative increase in income was 125 million yuan[4]. Law education on the quality safety of agricultural products can not only promote the promotion and development of local characteristic fruit industry, but also strongly promote the improvement and implementation of local township regulations and conventions, and promote the improvement of villagers’ moral standards, so that good governance in the countryside enters a virtuous circle. Therefore, advanced productivity is the economic foundation for rural revitalization, and it can also be an effective carrier of good governance in the countryside, while science and technology commissioners or team commissioners are effective bridges and bonds.

6 Comprehensively promoting the coordinated development of rural revitalization with the goal of affluent life

While advancing the prosperity of local industries, ecological livability, rural civilization, and effective governance through different entry points, the science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences also actively explore multiple ways to improve farmers’ standard of living. The introduction, demonstration and promotion of new varieties, new technologies and new business models, especially the brand building of agricultural products, have become a secret weapon of science and technology commissioners from Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences to support the local rural revitalization. The first is to help farmers get rich in pockets. Combining industrial development and farmers’ needs to learn new technologies and new knowledge, science and technology commissioners also actively participate in the establishment of rural culture in various locations, and use their academic and bridge advantages to actively help villages to tap traditional cultural resources, counsel and participate all kind of technical training to helps farmers to achieve rich pockets and rich heads simultaneously. For example, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences actively promotes non-contact fermentation bed pig breeding technology and models, which effectively solves the problem of severe pollution from breeding waste caused by large-scale pig breeding in Zhejiang Province. The science and technology commissioners use a variety of technologies to participate in the construction of ecological civilization in an all-round way to achieve rich pockets, heads, and ecology of farmers simultaneously, and explore an effective way for science and technology commissioners to fully participate in rural revitalization.

In the recent 15 years, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences has sent a total of 850 person-time science and technology commissioners. They are active in 85 remote towns in 26 economically underdeveloped counties in Zhejiang Provice, effectively promoting the development of local characteristic agriculture and promoting the increase of agricultural efficiency and farmers’ income in less developed regions. Agricultural science and technology commissioners are an important force for the implementation of rural revitalization. On the one hand, it is necessary to focus on promoting the prosperity of local industries. On the other hand, effective ways for science and technology commissioners to participate in ecological livability, rural civilization, effective governance, and wealthy life should be actively explored to give full play to the role of science and technology commissioners and promote the implementation of strategy for rural revitalization.