In China’s Henan province, a 233-hectare farm in Qingfeng county has achieved a milestone by becoming the country’s first fully unmanned wheat-corn rotation farm. The farm, designed by scientists from Henan Agricultural University, uses intelligent drones, driverless harvesters, and precision irrigation systems to achieve a 20% increase in wheat yields. The autonomous technology has reduced harvesting time from seven days to four, labor requirements by 80%, and overall human costs by 40%. The precision irrigation system, which divides the farm into six zones, has reduced irrigation labor by 90% and fertilizer use by 20%. The farm’s success is attributed to the use of China’s domestically developed Beidou navigation satellites, drones, and AI for coordination. The model is designed to be replicable and scalable, with researchers working to refine the technology and reduce costs to facilitate broader adoption across China’s agricultural landscape. The Qingfeng farm is a pioneering example of how technology can transform agriculture, increasing efficiency, sustainability, and yields.
China’s inaugural autonomous farm sees 20% increase in wheat production thanks to artificial intelligence integration
