Chinese agricultural education platform Tiantian Xuenong (“Daily Education in Agriculture”) has secured a new undisclosed financing round to scale its offerings to reach more of China’s agricultural sector. The company’s founder, Yan Zitong, previously started online agricultural product marketplace DFS168.com, and has more than a decade of experience in Chinese agriculture technology.
Tiantian Xuenong focuses on providing farmers with educational resources and instruction in areas including the use of technology solutions, farm management, agricultural product marketing, along with other training services and skill certification. So far, the company’s app has been downloaded more than 6 million times, with around 30% of users re-enrolling in the platform’s paid classes, which are delivered via livestreamed and recorded sessions.
Content is organized in three silos: targeted small classes that cover key topics, broader instruction on crops and other agricultural knowledge, and service and technical certifications. In addition, Tiantian Xuenong has launched Dadi University, a business school for farmers that charges five figures in yuan for courses.
The company’s mission aligns with strategic objectives announced by Chinese regulators this year. In February, China’s State Council released a plan to accelerate the modernization of China’s agricultural sector, which has lagged behind other industries in terms of digitization and information technology. Then, in April, China’s National Vocational Education Conference called for the renewed development of vocational education in the country.
The company generates around 80% of its revenue from individual users. It provides training for digital marketing services to large agricultural enterprises like China Agricultural Holdings and ChemChina’s Sygenta, which makes up the remaining 20% of sales.
Tiantian Xuenong hopes that the insights derived from data collected via its programs will allow the company to assist with farmer’s digital transformation more broadly. It acquires users by advertising through popular channels, including short video apps Douyin and Kuaishou, WeChat, and ByteDance’s news aggregator Jinri Toutiao. Ultimately, the company is targeting 20 million people in China’s rural areas who work in the agricultural sector, whether as farmers, technical consultants, or middlemen, according to Yan.
Read this:The challenges of transitioning China’s rural economy to livestreaming
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content published by 36Kr. Thisarticlewas originally written by Lu Jingwen for 36Kr.