Technologies boost the development of agriculture

Technology is a new drive for agriculture development. The young professional farmers, different from the elder generations, know more about advanced technologies and bring changes to the traditional agricultural production modes.

Qu Jianqiang, 27 years’ old, explained that with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles he can spray pesticide to more than 5,000 mu (333 hectares) lands in just three days. “It’s much more convenient and efficient,” said Qu.

At Yangzhuang town of Tengzhou city, Liu Chao employs the technology of big data to manage his cherry fields of 2,000 mu (133.33 hectares).The analysis of collected data can tell him what is the most suitable environment for growing cherries. He also has signed long-term cooperation contracts with e-commerce enterprises and supermarkets. The cherries, which were sold at five yuan per kilogram in the past, can be sold at a much higher price now.

The advanced management methods also bring convenience to agricultural production. The sensor technology and Internet of Things employed by Tengzhou Zhengdekang Vegetable Cooperative can monitor NPK concentration and humidity in strawberry fields. “The system can water and fertilize the land automatically when the soil is lack of water or fertilizer,” explained Li Guo, chairman of the cooperative.

With firsthand experience in farming, the young professional farmers also try to develop agricultural technologies by themselves. Du Qing, graduated from Nankai University, has cultivated new mushroom varieties by cooperating with agriculture universities and colleges. By growing the new varieties, the income of local farmers increased by more than 40,000 yuan.

Industry convergence promote village development

To upgrade the agricultural industry, Shandong exerts efforts to integrate agriculture with secondary and tertiary industries. To achieve this goal, the province plans to cultivate 500,000 professional farmers of a new type. Professional farmer training incubators and related classes are emerging to provide strong support for industry convergence.

In Shouguang city, most of the 92 enterprises that incubated at undergraduate entrepreneurship platforms are agricultural enterprises. Li Yiquan, deputy head of Shouguang Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, said that the trained farmers are familiar with how to use capital and technologies and thus can better promote agricultural production with marketing ideas.

The professional training can not only help young professional farmers make more profit, but it also encourages them to expand the industry chain of agriculture. Zhang Zhenhua, general manager of Zaozhuang Yunling Agriculture Development Co Ltd, said that agricultural production is more than providing food for people and that it can also achieve development through the combination with other business forms, such as entertainment, culture, tourism and popular science education. 

[Photo/WeChat account: sd_photo]