As spring plowing gets underway across China, smart equipment is transforming the way farmers work. Scientific and technological advancements now contribute over 64 percent to the country’s agricultural output growth.
In Wucheng county, Dezhou city, east China’s Shandong Province, Liu Kai and his fellow villagers no longer need to head to the fields early as they used to. Instead, Liu simply taps his phone to access an agricultural big data platform, which provides real-time information on crop seedling growth and soil moisture.
"The platform uses a satellite remote sensing system to monitor the fields," he said. "Now, my smartphone has become a farming tool."
Drones conduct agricultural management operations over rapeseed fields in Xiushan county, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. (Photo/People’s Daily Online)
Liu, a major grain grower in the county, manages 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) of farmland across eight townships and towns. In previous spring plowing seasons, field management was done manually, requiring more than 10 people working for seven to eight days, and even then keeping everything organized was a challenge.
Now, with the adoption of new technologies, spring plowing is less labor-intensive and more time-efficient, giving farmers greater peace of mind.
Smart technology is also reshaping how specialty crops are grown. Strawberries are coming into season at a solar greenhouse fruit and vegetable park in Jiutai district, Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province.
Wang Yinan, head of the park, said the strawberry harvest season will last until May. Most of the strawberries here aren’t grown in the ground, but "in the air," on raised racks filled with substrate, with leafy greens planted underneath.
The strawberries are grown using a range of modern technologies. According to Wang, these include an integrated water and fertilizer system that uses data collection and modeling to precisely regulate the mix of nutrients and water. In addition, a network of neatly laid pipes delivers water and fertilizer directly to the plants, enabling precise irrigation.
The greenhouse is also equipped with a range of sensors that monitor temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels, while also tracking the growth of the strawberries. Agricultural experts are invited to provide guidance as well, Wang added.
In Lujiang county, Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, vast rapeseed fields have turned the landscape into a sea of gold. Xia Weiqing, a grower from Nihe town, looked at his field with delight.
"The favorable weather this spring, combined with effective field management, is expected to bring yields to 220 kilograms per mu, about 20 percent higher than in previous years," Xia said, as he operated a drone to spray pesticides along a preset route.
Xia added that the drone has been used for pesticide spraying since the seeds were sown last October, and can cover up to 200 mu of farmland in just one hour.
He began using drones for pest control in 2017. In the early days, a drone could carry less than 10 kilograms of pesticides and had to be piloted by hand. "Now, a drone can carry up to 50 kilograms and follow precisely programmed routes," Xia said.
Xia has purchased eight drones for pest control and set up an agricultural services center, helping more than 100 farming households adopt technology in their work.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0323/c90000-20438823.html