On September 1, CCTV’s Focal Talk (Jiaodian Fangtan) aired a feature titled “New Agricultural Sciences Hold Great Promise,” reporting on agriculture-related interdisciplinary majors newly added by the Ministry of Education for 2026. The program highlighted Jiangsu University (JSU)’s approval to establish China’s first undergraduate major in agricultural robotics.

The report noted that as agricultural drones, harvesting robots and intelligent inspection equipment are widely deployed in the field, smart agriculture is developing rapidly. Yet there is a severe shortage of interdisciplinary talent who can meet the needs of the industry. Against this backdrop, JSU was the first university to apply for and receive approval to offer an undergraduate major in agricultural robotics.

The program showed Prof. Liu Jizhan, who heads the agricultural robotics major at JSU, teaching graduate students the principles of path planning for mobile platforms. Zhou Maile, Associate Dean of the School of Agricultural Engineering, said in an interview: “Students in our agricultural robotics major must build on an understanding of agriculture and be able to work with intelligent equipment across a wide range of scenarios.”

The feature reflects the growing national attention to interdisciplinary agricultural education. Drawing on its strengths in agricultural engineering, JSU will continue to advance reform of its talent cultivation model and provide more high-quality interdisciplinary talent for the growth of smart agriculture.

(Source: Publicity Department)