Jiaming farm in Tianjin's Xiqing district
Sun Song, the general manager of Tianjin Youhe Agricultural Technology Service Co, Ltd, and his team have recently started to plant cucumbers at the company's Jiaming farm using AI technology.
"Modern agriculture relies more on collecting cloud data through various sensors, and increasingly utilizes AI algorithms for analysis, which is also the future direction of development," said Sun as he took out his phone to check the growth status of strawberries and tomatoes cultivated without soil in 15 greenhouses at the Jiaming farm in the town of Xinkou, Xiqing district.
With AI technology, Sun can analyze real-time changes in key data such as greenhouse temperature and humidity, the irrigation water electrical conductivity value and pH value, irrigation volume, fertilizer type and quantity based on the intelligent water and fertilizer management platform and environmental control platform. This monitoring of crop growth conditions allows him to make timely responses.
"To make the farm run by itself," said Sun.
Apart from the harvesting period, only two farmers are needed in the greenhouse to conduct daily maintenance and operations. Strawberries and tomatoes grown with these scientific methods are large and have rich flavors, making them very popular in the market. Since they were heavily marketed starting last November, sales have reached over 500,000 yuan ($68,868).
Strawberries cultivated with AI technology
Having been deeply involved in smart agriculture for nearly a decade, Sun has witnessed the rapid development of the industry. He is delighted by the profound changes technology has brought to agriculture and, through continuous experimentation, has gained a deeper understanding of smart agriculture.
In addition to conducting technology research and development and farming, Sun's team has also served as ambassadors for promoting smart agriculture, using new concepts and technologies to assist more farmers.