China Agricultural University joins Pinduoduo to co-organize 2021 Smart Agriculture Competition
August 12 2021 - 7:50AM
China Agricultural University will join Pinduoduo (NASDAQ: PDD) as
a co-organizer of the Smart Agriculture Competition, a unique
contest that aims to foster interdisciplinary innovation by
marrying algorithms and agronomy.
The Smart Agriculture Competition, which is being
held for a second year, aims to promote the development of
cost-effective technology that can help farmers to increase their
productivity and improve their livelihoods in an environmentally
sustainable manner. This year, the contest will draw teams from
around the world to cultivate tomatoes using a combination of
agronomic knowledge, algorithmic modeling, and precision
automation.
“The Smart Agriculture Competition plays a unique
role in that it aims to foster innovation that is usable by
smallholder farmers, who produce around 80% of the food in China,”
said Wang Hongqing, Professor of the School of Horticulture at
China Agricultural University, who will be a member of the
competition’s judging panel. “It is an important platform for the
different stakeholders in the agri-food ecosystem to come together
to develop practical, cost-effective, and environmentally
sustainable solutions for working farms.”
As China’s largest agriculture platform, Pinduoduo
spearheaded the creation of the Smart Agriculture Competition as a
way to gather the top minds in agronomy and computer science to
develop technology that can improve agriculture and build a more
resilient food system. The competition is advised by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Wageningen
University & Research. Leading institutes including the Yunnan
Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the National Plateau Yunguo
Industrial Park are also lending their support.
Last year, in the inaugural Smart Agriculture
Competition, teams of data scientists were pitted against
traditional farmers to grow strawberries. The technology teams
produced 196% more strawberries by weight on average compared with
traditional farmers, and outperformed in terms of the profitability
of the investment.
In this year’s competition, judges will be
evaluating the teams not only on yield and cost-effectiveness but
also on the nutritional profile of the tomatoes and the
environmental sustainability of their approach. This is in
recognition of the important role that agriculture plays in the
health of the population and its impact on the environment.
“Through the Smart Agriculture Competition, we hope
to interest more young scientific talent in agriculture so that
they can apply their talents to helping farmers,” said Andre Zhu,
Senior Vice President of Global Affairs at Pinduoduo. “Helping
farmers to grow better ensures not just the people to eat better
but also has a direct positive impact on the
environment.”About Pinduoduo Inc.
Pinduoduo is a mobile-only marketplace that
connects millions of agricultural producers with consumers across
China. Pinduoduo aims to bring more businesses and people into the
digital economy so that local communities can benefit from the
increased productivity and convenience through new market
opportunities.
For more information on Pinduoduo news and
industry trends, please visit the content hub at
https://stories.pinduoduo-global.com.
For media inquiries, please contact
internationalmedia@pinduoduo.com
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