Mei Xurong, head of the research team and a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, responded to questions from reporters of People's Daily, Guangming Daily, and Science and Technology Daily.

Currently, China's crop productivity growth faces constraints due to soil degradation, monoculture barriers, excessive reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and water scarcity. On March 16,2025, the research team of the National Key R&D Program "Synergistic Technologies and Demonstration for Soil Health Maintenance and Productivity Enhancement in Medium-Low Yield Fields in Northern Arid Regions" launched the "Demonstration Initiative for Soil Health and Yield Improvement in 100 Counties and 10,000 Hectares" in Beijing. Centered on microbial technology, the project aims to establish 10,000 hectares of demonstration fields across 100 counties within two years, promoting green agricultural development and exploring a win-win path for ecological and economic benefits.

Zheng Ge, Chief Agronomist of Science and Technology Development Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a speech

At the launch ceremony, Zheng Ge, Chief Agronomist of the Science and Technology Development Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered a speech emphasizing: "We must focus on technological breakthroughs to create green yield-enhancement models; ensure solid implementation by establishing a multi-stakeholder collaborative monitoring and feedback network; and leverage county-level areas as pivot points to consolidate demonstration foundations, with the goal of expanding influence through the 'hundreds of counties and thousands of hectares' initiative."

In his opening remarks, Yao Zonglu, Deputy Director of the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, highlighted that the 'Hundred Counties, Ten Thousand Acres' initiative represents a groundbreaking effort to translate scientific research into practical applications. By directly implementing the project team's findings in agricultural settings, this program accelerates the nationwide adoption of cutting-edge technologies, allowing them to be rigorously tested against real-world user feedback. The ultimate goal is to ensure that these advanced solutions are not only effective but also sustainable for long-term use.

The deputy researcher from the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, representing the project team, outlined the initiative's background, objectives, and implementation plan: The project team will provide live bacterial supply, technical guidance, and experience sharing, assisting county-level agricultural extension centers in bacterial agent application and data monitoring. They will establish representative demonstration fields for soil health and yield improvement, ultimately developing a replicable and scalable green live bacterial application technology system.

The representatives of the first batch of cooperative counties/districts—Li Zhigang, Vice County Magistrate of Shouyang County, Shanxi Province, and Wen Xinyong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Dongying District, Dongying City, Shandong Province—signed a cooperation agreement with Mei Xurong, head of the project research team and researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The launch ceremony of the "Hundred Counties and Ten Thousand Acres" initiative received extensive coverage from People's Daily, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, Science and Technology Daily, China Agricultural Film and Television Center, China Agricultural Information Network, Beijing News, and Agricultural Industry Observer.