Study On The Problem-solving Agricultural Knowledge Service System For Farm Households

Scientific advance and technology innovation is the motivity of agricultural economy growth andagriculture sustainable development. Farm Household is the major unit of agricultural production inChina. With facilitating of modernization constriction of agriculture, farmers’ needs on agriculturalinformation services has gradually changed to needs on professional and individualized science andtechnology (S&T) agricultural knowledge services, which aims at problem-resolving. Construction ofagricultural S&T knowledge service system (a bridge between agricultural S&T knowledge and farmhousehold), via a union of industry, education and research, is the key approach of increasingagricultural scientific advance and technology innovation contribution rate of our country. And it wouldmake great contribution to China’s construction of industrialization, informatization, citilization, andagricultural modernization.Based on theories in the areas of knowledge management, information management, and agriculturalS&T extension and adopted research methods of literature review, case study, participatory ruralappraisal, and empirical research, the study conducted an in-depth analysis on farmers’ needs onagricultural S&T knowledge service based on “type of farm household” and “type of problems”. Thepaper summarized the existing main issues in the area of agricultural S&T knowledge service practice inChina through cases study. Based on the result of needs analysis, and aimed to the main issuessummarized from cases study, the paper designs a problem-solving agricultural knowledge servicesystem for farm households. The study constructs and runs prototype system in the field of plantprotection to exam feasibility and effect of the proposed system. The innovation of the study could besummarized as follows:1. The study develops a problem-solving agricultural science and technology knowledge servicesystem for farm households, which provide a new solution to carry out knowledge service tofarmer. Based on all possible problems farmers may meet in whole process of agricultural industry,and considering the different needs of different type of farmers, the study develops “knowledgewarehouse+service platform” and “diagnosis and service-push entity” as core of the system. Thesystem put all components together, through resources integration, mechanism innovation,information exchange, and knowledge transit between all components, to provide a composite,practical, one-step problem-resolving station for farmers.2. The study exams and validates the proposed knowledge service system via realization of aprototype system in the area of plant protection. Supported by an international collaboration projectentitled Plantwise, the study constructs a problem-solving plant protection knowledge servicesystem for farmers, with core of “Knowledge Bank” and “Plant Clinic Network”. The prototypesystem put all types of service provider together using “Knowledge Bank+Plant Clinics” toprovide effective and feasible pests management solution for farmers. And then, the study examsand improves the proposed system design with the experience of running the prototype system.The study explores construction model and running mechanism of agricultural S&T knowledge service system suitable for our country. The study develops new thought and provides some experience onagricultural knowledge management for our country. The proposed agricultural knowledge servicesystem and realized prototype system in the area of plant protection would become beneficialcomplementarities for the existing agricultural extension system of China.