Four departments jointly issued the “Key Work Points for Digital Rural Development in 2024.”

　Recently, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the “Key Work Points for Digital Village Development in 2024,” calling for the thorough implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions and directives on rural revitalization, as well as the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference and the Central Rural Work Conference. The document also emphasizes the need to earnestly carry out the requirements set forth in the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Studying and Applying the Experience of the ‘Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Improvement’ Project to Vigorously and Effectively Advance All-Round Rural Revitalization,” and to deeply implement the “Digital Village Development Strategic Outline” and the “Digital Village Development Action Plan (2022–2025).” By leveraging information technology to drive agricultural and rural modernization, the plan seeks to promote high-quality, efficient agriculture, livable and business-friendly rural areas, and prosperous, well-off farmers, thereby providing solid support for accelerating the building of a cyber power and an agricultural power.

　　The “Key Work Plan” sets out the following objectives: By the end of 2024, substantive progress will have been made in digital rural development; digital technologies will provide stronger support for national food security and for consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation; the number of rural broadband subscribers will exceed 200 million; internet penetration in rural areas will increase by 2 percentage points; online retail sales of agricultural products will surpass RMB 630 billion; the level of informationization in agricultural production will continue to rise; a pool of practical, skilled personnel who are well-versed in both agriculture and rural affairs and digital technologies will be cultivated; a number of highly demonstrative and widely impactful digital application scenarios will be developed; and a series of tangible, accessible initiatives—both online and offline—will be implemented to deliver concrete benefits to the public.

　　The “Key Work Plan” outlines 28 priority tasks across nine areas. First, it seeks to lay a solid foundation for digital rural development by enhancing rural network infrastructure capacity, intensifying the upgrading and modernization of rural infrastructure, and accelerating the integration and sharing of agriculture‑related data resources. Second, it aims to safeguard two critical bottom lines through digital means—strengthening digital support for food security and reinforcing mechanisms for monitoring and assisting those at risk of falling back into poverty. Third, it vigorously promotes the development of smart agriculture by bolstering agricultural scientific and technological innovation and its application, elevating the digitalization of the entire agricultural value chain, and leveraging digital technologies to deepen socialized agricultural services. Fourth, it seeks to invigorate county‑level digital economies by advancing high‑quality growth in rural e‑commerce, adopting multifaceted measures to foster the integrated development of agriculture, culture, and tourism, unleashing the multiplier effect of agriculture‑related data, and using digital tools to boost farmers’ incomes. Fifth, it endeavors to revitalize rural digital culture by accelerating the digitization of cultural and heritage resources and enriching the digital offerings of public cultural services in rural areas. Sixth, it works to improve the rural digital governance system by steadily advancing the informatization of rural “three affairs” (party affairs, government affairs, and village affairs), enhancing the digital efficiency of rural social governance, and strengthening rural smart emergency management capabilities. Seventh, it deepens inclusive digital services in rural areas by focusing on raising the level of digital education, continuously promoting rural digital health, improving the effectiveness of digital financial inclusion services, and strengthening information‑service provisions for vulnerable groups in rural communities. Eighth, it accelerates the construction of smart, beautiful villages by expanding the use of digital technologies in improving rural living environments and enhancing the effectiveness of ecological‑environmental protection and oversight. Ninth, it coordinates and advances digital rural development as a whole by strengthening interdepartmental and inter‑hierarchical collaboration, establishing diversified investment‑guarantee mechanisms, cultivating and expanding a skilled rural digital workforce, promoting standardization in key sectors, and telling compelling stories of the new era of digital rural development. (Linjiang)

[Editor-in-charge: Zhu Jiaqi]

Source: People’s Posts and Telecommunications News