SHANGHAI (ANN/CHINA DAILY) – Traditionally, rural farming conjures images of cattle, ploughs, and hard labour. However, a notable transformation is underway, with the introduction of agricultural robots and advanced equipment revolutionising farming practices.
At Diantian Farm in rural Shanghai, this shift is palpable. Engineers operate robots, replacing conventional farming methods with precision and efficiency.
Li Wei, one of the engineers at Diantian, expertly manoeuvres his agricultural robot using a controller. With over 70 engineers on-site, specialising in rice cultivation, the cooperative has witnessed a significant technological overhaul.
Over the past seven years, extensive research and development efforts have yielded more than 60 types of agricultural robots, capable of tasks ranging from planting to harvesting. Equipped with crawler feet for diverse terrain and powered by artificial intelligence systems, these robots represent the future of farming.
Farmers simply need to log on to the system through the WeChat mini program on their mobile phones and switch on the robots. “I grew up in the countryside, and I know farmwork can be extremely exhausting,” said Wang Jinyue, head of the Diantian agricultural cooperative.
In contrast to the past, a long line of agricultural robots are dotting the field to assist with farmwork today.
They operate efficiently, accurately and tirelessly, said Wang, noting that technologies such as 5G, image recognition and big data enable the robots to swiftly calculate the distance to the crops and achieve rapid harvesting within seconds.
The weeding robots can not only accurately distinguish between grass and crops, but also guide the specialised blades to remove weeds precisely, he said, adding that each weeding robot can operate for eight hours on a one-hour charge.
The agricultural robots at Diantian Farm are equipped with China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, also known as BDS. BDS is used in more than 100,000 sets of agricultural machinery automated driving systems in China.
The modernisation of agriculture is underway throughout the country. In Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, intelligent equipment has made vegetable cultivation more cost-effective and efficient.
Here, an automated vegetable farm has achieved unmanned production in the entire process of cultivating green leafy vegetables. A vegetable planting area spanning about 13 hectares requires only five farmers.
China unveiled its “No 1 central document” for 2024 earlier this month, outlining the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural vitalisation this year.
The document called for consolidating the support of agricultural science and technology and intensifying the research on core technologies of germplasm resources.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress exceeded 62 percent in 2022, with the overall mechanisation rate of crop cultivation and harvest reaching 73 per cent.
