"Sunshine and sweat have finally yielded a sweet harvest — this year we have apples to enjoy," wrote Xie Daojiao, chairman of an agricultural company in Longli county, Guizhou province. Three years have passed since Xie's company leased some 73 hectares of land in two mountainous areas in Wantanhe town.
Xie's family has been engaged in agriculture for generations. In 2015, he first visited Wantanhe town to sell agricultural supplies. Impressed by the region's excellent ecological environment, with a river flowing alongside the farmland and an improved local transportation network, he decided to establish an agricultural company to cultivate vegetables there.
"The river channels were regulated and drainage facilities improved, the farmland on both sides is basically no longer flooded during the rainy season, and the water quality has also improved significantly," he said. Irrigating farmland has become as simple as accessing tap water. "The water resources department channels water from nearby reservoirs to a storage pool on the hill. Irrigation pipes are laid across the fields, and with a simple card swipe, irrigation begins," he said.
"Our vegetable base now operates almost entirely on automated water and fertilizer systems. A mobile app allows us to control all water and fertilizer applications, as well as monitor soil moisture, temperature and nutrient levels. This approach not only controls production costs and reduces soil salinity but also conserves water, creating a virtuous cycle," Xie said.
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