Strategic Issues of Monitoring and Information Services of Agricultural Water and Land Resources in China

As cropland and water resources are most valuable, the rational development and utilization of agricultural water and land resources are crucial for national food, ecological, and resource security. Therefore, obtaining timely and accurate information about the quantity and utilization of these resources is vital for national stability and socio-economic development. Here, we summarize the status quo and problems of the monitoring and information services of agricultural water and land resources in China, and expound on the framework of a monitoring and information service system. Additionally, we propose the strategic goals, namely, realizing automatic, intelligent, and unmanned monitoring of agricultural resources and environment and marketing the monitoring information services. These goals can be achieved by increasing the efficiency and outcomes of water and land use and optimizing the spatial allocation of agricultural land and water resources. Moreover, we analyze the technological routes for agricultural water and land resource monitoring in the context of the deep integration of information technology and agriculture, and propose specific projects from the aspects of infrastructure construction, core technology development and integration, and information services. Furthermore, we propose the following policy suggestions: (1) strengthening the top-level design, (2) enhancing scientific and technological innovation, (2) building a sharing platform for agricultural resource monitoring, (4) deepening the interaction of government, industry, universities, research institutes, and users of agricultural resources, and (5) promoting high-level talent training. Our study is expected to provide theoretical references for the development of the agricultural water and land resource monitoring in China.