Agricultural development and 5.0 technologies in China’s new projectment economy

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the characteristics of the process of formation and development of 5.0 agriculture in China. It discusses recent transformations in Chinese agriculture as an inherent part of the new projectment economy, i.e. the higher stage of economic planning that integrates numerous national and local projects. Agriculture 5.0 can be understood as the diffusion of disrup- tive technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, big data, internet of things (IoT), nanotechnologies, blockchain, associated with production intensifica- tion techniques, genetic improvement, precision agriculture, environmental preservation, rural revitalization and clean energies. This process has been implemented since the late 1990s, aiming to reverse rural abandonment due to urban migration and to prevent future food supply problems linked to pro- duction issues. Since the five-year plans, various policies and institutions have aligned toward this new agriculture and related sectors, following the broader principles of Chinese planning, aiming at qualitative changes, improved liv- ing conditions, productive modernization, and, more recently, environmental preservation and recovery.