Agriculture in Northeast China, where most of the country’s fertile black soil is located, has been recognized as crucial for Chinese food security. However, the soil is in a critical condition due to years of intensive production and overuse of fertilizer.
In the international collaborative project Sinograin II, supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, Norwegian scientists from NIBIO is working together with Chinese agricultural scientists to improve food security. As part of the project, scientists have developed a service-providing system to equip farmers and local governments in North-East China with a decision support tool. It offers important timely recommendations on selected agricultural practices such as site-specific fertilization.
"The system includes a more detailed web version for agricultural technicians and extension service providers and a WeChat version for farmers. We know that WeChat is very popular in China, and farmers will use it," says Krzysztof Kusnierek, a scientist at NIBIO.
Read the complete article at www.nibio.no.