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2014-05-08
The following suggestions are encouraged by the achievements of the High-Level Conference on Ecological Agriculture and Green Low-Carbon Technology Innovation, concerning the national target to develop green and low-carbon ecological agriculture and create an urban ecological agriculture pattern with scientific and technological innovation as its core element. Suggestions are made to promote the new idea of agriculture, new technologies and new patterns, specifically in accomplishing top-level design of technologies, advancing technology advantages and competitiveness, and exploring a pattern for urban agriculture and special agricultural planting.
1. Deepen the feasibility research in regard to technology, market, economic and environmental benefits
China is now pushing forward the four modernizations---industrialization, informalization, urbanization and agricultural modernization, with the last one as the most difficult. The pattern of Industry Nurturing Agriculture is essential to ensure agricultural efficiency in the process of modernization. For instance, artificial plant factories with LED ecological light-conversion technology exemplify this pattern, injecting innovative idea into traditional glass manufacturing industry and leading the agriculture onto the track of modernization through technology application. Of course, the current technological applications are channeled into two branches. The first is in technology updates, such as advantages of light-conversion materials, increasing rate and nutritive value of plants; but the relevant professional accreditation and authentication are in shortage. The second is in the marketization, such as the cost of products, after-sales service system and promotion patterns; yet more research and design must be going. Based on the above problems, we suggest:
(1) Deepen the feasibility research of technology. Professional authentication about the LED light conversion technology and related materials must be achieved from authorities. Indeed there exist successful domestic and foreign cases of planting vegetables or flowers with artificial lights, similar in light utilization; while in contrast, the formation of artificial light source varies. The artificial plant factories originated in Japan, followed by the Netherlands, Great Britain and South Korea, with the engineering technologies already advanced. In consideration of the cost, the light source in most factories is generated by combination of different colored fluorescent lamps, thus effective spectrum becomes available for the growing of plants. Nevertheless, fluorescent lamps can’t satisfy the need of red light and the energy consumption problem stands out, making LED lights an alternative choice for artificial light source.
AOBO makes it happen by coating the light-conversion powder on glass plates, and hence natural and artificial lights are transformed into the certain spectrum for plants to grow (PAS). This kind of technology seems advantageous, yet it needs authentication by professional authorities in spite of the rapid development of domestic or foreign plant factories; meanwhile, the acceleration of plants’ growth rate, improvement of photosynthetic rate and nutritive value are to be authenticated, only after can the promotion of products be persuasive and the products be trusted by customers.
(2) The ultimate goal is to realize large-scale promotion and application of LED light-conversion glass products, so obviously the feasibility in economic matters is the key in the process of massive production and marketization. We need to concern both the acceptance limit for customers and the company’s profits; correspondingly, the cost and return rate should become major concerns for corporations. Besides, when we are promoting various LED light-conversion glass products like large-scale plant factories and family ecological plant factories, social purchasing power is another important factor, such as purchasing cost, planting cost(including energy consumption, seedlings and nutrient solution) and maintaining cost. Only the high-tech products with popularity can be accepted by the society and meet the ultimate goal of ecological agricultural development.
(3) Application of LED ecological light-conversion glasses produces ecological benefits. This technology enables large-scale ecological plant factories and family plant factories to nurture the plants with organic nutrient solution rather than chemical fertilizer. Irradiation of special lights frees the plants off pests, directly avoiding pesticide pollution to plants and soil. Family plants factories can produce healthy vegetables and clean the air by inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. But we face the deficiency of quantity evaluation of product properties. So the industrial product standards are to be arranged and related evaluation work needs to be done. For example, how much noxious gas can a family plant factory absorb and what is the size of purified zones; whether the advantages of products and potential risks in later usage can be accepted by customers; whether the after-sale services can satisfy the demand of customers. Only the products supported with technical data can win, as the generated economic values and those of life and environment count, other than the appearance or advertising effects.
2. Design featured products and adopt the promotion strategies that satisfy market demands
The LED light-conversion ecological glass technology, i.e. domestic plant factory and green plant wall, is still confined to laboratory and lack the feedback from large-scale market operation. In China, many industries still at the stage of extensive development, the agriculture industry is no exception. Based on this situation, it is not feasible for the enterprises to promote high-tech ecological products on a large scale. They should carefully position their products to satisfy current domestic demands.
(1) Narrow products range, give prominence to regional urban ecological agriculture and featured agriculture, and encourage the marketization of large-scale ecological plant factory and domestic plant factory. With the development of the society and the expansion of cities, our available land resources decrease sharply. Meanwhile, urban citizens pay more attention to food safety and living conditions. Under such circumstances, the intensive planting mode can not only ease the shortage of arable land, but also increase regional supply of fruit and vegetables, making citizens self-sufficient in healthy and safe foods. When developing urban agriculture, it is advised to apply the function of agriculture into citizen farms. This method not only brings about pleasure to city dwellers, but also helps to address the lack of vegetables. Besides, LED light-conversion technology can also be used in developing featured agriculture and cultivating high value-added crops, such as rare flowers, Chinese herbs and other precious plants, generating economic benefits as well as protecting rare species.
(2) Carefully position the products and improve after-sale services to boost marketization. Here we should take different demands into consideration. For example, to encourage large-scale ecological plant factories in areas that are not suitable for cultivation, to popularize domestic plant factories to urban households, and to develop and promote green plant walls for urban workplace and large residences. In addition, it is required to set up a professional designing group to satisfy different demands of high-end customers no matter what projects they are interested in.
(3) Combine the Internet of Things (IOT) technology with product design, making usage more convenient and smart. IOT is developing at a fast pace in our country. If involving IOT technology into products, people can see how the vegetables grow, adjust the parameters and control online in any place and at any time through mobile phones, laptops of pads.
3. Promote international technological communication and cooperation
As for modern agriculture, many developed countries and regions, such as Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and Singapore, have advanced technologies and abundant managerial experience. Consequently, enterprises should communicate with foreign companies on advanced cultivation technologies, especially the artificial light cultivation technology, learning from others’ strong points to offset our weaknesses.
(1) Make a list of international organizations and foreign embassies for cooperation, especially those involved in agricultural projects with ecological technologies. We should know their possibilities to cooperate with Chinese enterprises, enlarging our cooperation opportunities with international technologies.
As for technological research, many European nations provide special supporting funds to enterprises and researchers. For instance, the Research Foundation not only provides funds but also offers a broad cooperative platform for enterprises and researchers. It is advised to keep an eye on the international developing trend of LED ecological light-conversion technology through attending international conferences and exhibitions, attracting more advanced international technology and mutual research opportunities.