Smart monitoring systems and digital platforms reshape the agricultural landscape
Xinhua – Peng Jiangbo’s morning routine might come as a surprise. Rather than beginning his day out in the field digging in the dirt, this farmer sits in front of a screen and crunches numbers.
Thanks to sensors “planted” in the field that measure temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration, Peng uses real-time data to help manage his large-scale vegetable farm in Guanqiao Village of Chongren County, east China’s Jiangxi Province.
Figures can help farmers swiftly adapt their growing plans, Peng said. “In the past, we relied heavily on experience to cultivate high-quality vegetables. Over recent years, planting technologies have begun to play a significant role. Now digital technology has emerged as another dominant factor,” he said.
Over the past several years, China has accelerated the development of smart agriculture, building digital villages and narrowing the “digital gap” between urban and rural areas, which has helped enhance both production efficiency and farmers’ income.
Chongren has made great efforts in this endeavour. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and blockchain, the county, which counts vegetable growing as a pillar industry, has established digital platforms in over 20 vegetable bases to facilitate greenhouse production and vegetable sales.
The smart monitoring system in Peng’s greenhouse has been a great help. Earlier this year, during a critical growth stage for his sponge gourd crop, Peng became concerned when both the weather forecast and the figures on the screen indicated an impending cold snap.
“I had already signed contracts to sell those sponge gourds. If they had been damaged by the cold snap, I could have suffered huge losses,” said Peng.
He quickly turned on the heater in the greenhouse and made sure the insulating layer was sealed. As the temperature gradually climbed up, he breathed a sigh of relief.
With just a few taps on his mobile phone, Peng can effortlessly manage the sunproof net, water curtain and ventilation system of the greenhouse from anywhere. The intelligent monitoring system also sends alerts promptly when anomalies are detected in data analysis.
“In the past, anyone who could manage a field of roughly 50 mu (about 3.33 hectares) well could be labeled a skilled cultivator. Now, a plot ten times that size requires just one or two individuals for maintenance,” added Peng.
