Smart technologies improve agricultural efficiency
2025-09-22 20:09:00
By Hu Yikai.
In Dangyang City, farmers have equipped 1,563 agricultural machines with Beidou satellite navigation systems and more than 100 with autonomous driving systems, the highest numbers in Yichang.
Beidou terminals and unmanned driving systems now play key roles in plowing, planting, and harvesting. "With the Beidou navigation system, agricultural machinery operates with precision, reducing costs and improving efficiency," said Hou Gui, chairman of the Jingsui Rice Cooperative.
Dangyang farmers are also adopting environmentally friendly machinery and intelligent technologies for seedling cultivation, crop protection, and grain drying. Unmanned rice transplanters, plant-protection drones, and autonomous harvesters have become widely used.
Farmers check grain collected by harvesters. Photo by You Man.
Smart farming management services are expanding as well. The Chujiahu Cooperative has launched its own Beidou smart platform, currently managing over 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) of farmland across nearly 600 plots. The platform provides real-time monitoring of weather, soil moisture, and pest conditions. "The smart farming platform acts like an 'AI brain' for agriculture, reducing annual costs by 10 to 20 percent," said Xing Hansheng, the cooperative’s chairman.
There are 42 agricultural service teams in Dangyang, helping improve the excellent and good grade rate of wheat seedlings to 90 percent and rapeseed seedlings to 92.6 percent. In one town, the adoption of temperature-controlled germination technology has lifted the sprouting rate to 98 percent, boosting expected yields by 20 percent.
These advancements are reinforced by training programs. Dangyang organizes farmer training, agricultural machinery competitions, and field demonstrations. The city trains about 400 new machine operators annually, with a total of 2,000 trained during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
You Man and Yang Lu contributed to this story.
In Dangyang City, farmers have equipped 1,563 agricultural machines with Beidou satellite navigation systems and more than 100 with autonomous driving systems, the highest numbers in Yichang.
In Dangyang, harvesters equipped with Beidou navigation systems can operate in straight lines with higher efficiency. Photo by You Man.
Beidou terminals and unmanned driving systems now play key roles in plowing, planting, and harvesting. "With the Beidou navigation system, agricultural machinery operates with precision, reducing costs and improving efficiency," said Hou Gui, chairman of the Jingsui Rice Cooperative.
Dangyang farmers are also adopting environmentally friendly machinery and intelligent technologies for seedling cultivation, crop protection, and grain drying. Unmanned rice transplanters, plant-protection drones, and autonomous harvesters have become widely used.
Farmers check grain collected by harvesters. Photo by You Man.Smart farming management services are expanding as well. The Chujiahu Cooperative has launched its own Beidou smart platform, currently managing over 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) of farmland across nearly 600 plots. The platform provides real-time monitoring of weather, soil moisture, and pest conditions. "The smart farming platform acts like an 'AI brain' for agriculture, reducing annual costs by 10 to 20 percent," said Xing Hansheng, the cooperative’s chairman.
There are 42 agricultural service teams in Dangyang, helping improve the excellent and good grade rate of wheat seedlings to 90 percent and rapeseed seedlings to 92.6 percent. In one town, the adoption of temperature-controlled germination technology has lifted the sprouting rate to 98 percent, boosting expected yields by 20 percent.
These advancements are reinforced by training programs. Dangyang organizes farmer training, agricultural machinery competitions, and field demonstrations. The city trains about 400 new machine operators annually, with a total of 2,000 trained during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
You Man and Yang Lu contributed to this story.
