Smart technology helps farmers boost efficiency, income

In Huashan Village of Mulan County, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Chen Lili is livestreaming the latest rice harvest, connecting with customers nationwide using her smartphone.

“I once dreamed of escaping the countryside,” said Chen. After graduating from university in 2016, she spent several years working in Beijing’s online media industry.

In December 2021, Chen tried livestreaming her hometown’s rice for the first time. To her surprise, 6,000 orders came in within hours. “That moment made me realize that selling agricultural products doesn’t necessarily require a big company – just a smartphone and sincere storytelling,” she said.

In May 2022, she made a life-changing decision – she chose to leave her urban career and embark on a new journey in her hometown, where she could also enjoy some much-needed family time. “It took a lot of courage. My husband had to give up his job in Beijing. We didn’t know if we’d succeed,” she recalled.

Initially, her videos struggled to gain traction. However, when she began documenting her journey from city life to rural entrepreneurship, it struck a chord with viewers. In just a few months, her follower count skyrocketed to over one million.

Chen’skm success didn’t stop at online sales. In 2023, she began signing rice procurement contracts with local farmers, encouraging them to grow higher-quality rice varieties. She promised to buy back the harvest at guaranteed prices.

By 2024, she expanded the program to 400 hectares, benefiting 90 farming households and increasing their collective income by 1.8 million yuan (nearly $250,000).

Ma Xiuying, a villager in Huashan, was among the beneficiaries. “I have about 13 hectares of land. Last year, I grew the variety Chen recommended on half of it, and she bought everything as promised. This year, I’m planting all 13 hectares with that variety,” Ma said.

From the fertile plains of northeastern China to the misty mountains of the southwest, a wave of digital transformation is sweeping across rural China, empowering farmers with smart technology to improve productivity and boost their incomes.

Thousands of miles away, in the mountainous village of Xigui in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, another transformation is underway. Known for its premium Pu’er tea, Xigui has embraced drones and digital platforms to modernize its traditional tea industry.

At 10 a.m., freshly picked tea leaves from tea farmer Hao Chengping’s plantation are lifted into the air by a drone. Just minutes later, they touch down at the nearby processing center. “It used to take an hour to carry them down the mountain by foot. Now it takes three minutes by drone,” she said. “The faster we process the leaves, the better the flavor.”

In the past, heavy baskets of tea leaves would be hauled down steep trails, leading to oxidation and quality loss. This spring, the local authorities introduced drones to cover 170 hectares of high-mountain tea gardens. As a result, the loss rate for fresh leaves dropped from 15 percent to just 1 percent.

Ye Chenxi, a professional drone operator, said their drones can carry up to 50 kilograms and travel 4 to 5 kilometers, dramatically improving logistics efficiency.

At the same time, tea grower Cheng Benfu is livestreaming to sell the tea. Once shy and reserved, he now confidently showcases his fresh tea leaves and brewing techniques in front of the camera.

“Look at these buds just picked this morning and flown in by drone,” he told his viewers. “If you place your order now, we’ll process and ship it within two days.”

Through livestreaming, customers can watch the production process in real-time, from leaf to cup. “The aroma of the mountains is now just a click away,” Cheng smiled.

The integration of livestreaming and drone delivery not only improves efficiency but also opens new sales channels and reduces waste. From the rice fields of Heilongjiang to the tea mountains of Yunnan, the fusion of tradition and technology is bringing new opportunities to China’s rural heartland.

“We attach great importance to the role of e-commerce in promoting high-quality economic development at the county level and advancing rural revitalization,” said Li Bo, deputy head of Mulan.

“We are also actively exploring the new drivers and potential of e-commerce in stimulating consumer demand, upgrading consumption, and promoting industrial clustering,” the official added.

(Cover: Rice fields in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China. /VCG)