During the Gaokao season, choosing a major is a top priority for students and parents. New changes in the major offerings universities not only provide more choices for students but also reflect industrial transformation trends and national strategic needs.
Recently, the Ministry of Education released the "Catalog of Undergraduate Majors in Regular Higher Institutions (2026 Edition)," which includes 38 newly added undergraduate majors, featuring entirely new agricultural majors such as agricultural robotics, saline-alkali land science and engineering and smart fisheries. Through these new majors, we can see a shift in the training model for agricultural talent, and more importantly, the development trend of agricultural and rural modernization.

 majors serve as a bellwether for technological and industrial innovation. The outline of the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes to build agriculture into a modernized large- industry. Currently, global agricultural competition has evolved from a single resource-based and experience-based model to a comprehensive contest encompassing elements such as technology and management. This transformation places higher on the structure of the talent pool. The newly established agricultural majors specifically target research gaps in key areas and address practical problems in industrial development. For example, China has a large area saline-alkali land with diverse types and wide distribution, making comprehensive management quite challenging. In the past, research was scattered across majors such as soil science, agronomy, and conservancy. Establishing a dedicated major in saline-alkali land science and engineering helps integrate scientific research resources, focus on practical needs, and cultivate professional talents. Furthermore, this's Central Document No. 1 added expressions such as "promoting the integration of artificial intelligence and agricultural development, and expanding application scenarios for drones, the Internet of Things, and," further signaling the deep integration of technology and agriculture, and providing fertile ground for the agricultural robotics major. It is believed that with continuous breakthroughs in basic research and an increase in highquality technological supply, the new quality productive forces in agriculture will certainly flourish.

Rural revitalization hinges on people. Cultivating a "three rural issues" (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers) workforce that agriculture, loves the countryside, and cares for farmers requires the mutual support of education, science and technology, and talent. New professions and positions such as rural planners, rural collective economy, and smart agriculture solution designers are continuously emerging, and the knowledge required for agricultural work is showing clear cross-disciplinary characteristics. Breaking down the barriers between various disciplines such as agronomy engineering, science, and management, and promoting the cross-integration of various industries with the agricultural sector, will help cultivate more compound talents. In recent years, agricultural science majors have frequently updated, precisely in response to this new demand. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Henan Agricultural University, and others launched the country's first batch of rural governance majorments in 2024, and Yunnan Agricultural University specially established a coffee science and engineering major. These innovative moves, which align with local characteristics and rural realities, have promoted the of majors and industries, and accelerated the deep integration of the education chain, talent chain, and industrial chain.
The rural landscape is vast, and agriculture holds great potential. integrating personal interests, career development, and national strategies, one can certainly find their life's coordinates and a grand stage for striving. In 2023, the Jur Turf Research Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University established a new major in turf science and engineering. Relevant achievements from this major have successively shone on sports venues such as the football stadiums of the Hangzhou Asian and the "Su Chao" (Jiangsu Super League) venues. Finding one's passion, following the trends of the times, and moving forward steadily step by step makes for sufficiently wonderful life.
Education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic supports for Chinese-style modernization. New majors harbor new demands and also shape the future supply of talent. By closely aligning with national strategies and market demands to cultivate a group of high-quality talents who understand and love agriculture, we will undoubtedly contribute to the modernization of and rural areas.