Precision Farming Comes to Shanghai

Precision Farming, the world's most advanced farming practice, could help billions of farmers in China to retire their oxen, put their ploughs away and rely on satellites.

The new technique which it is hoped will revolutionize agriculture in China will first be introduced via a 15 million yuan ($1.8 million) experiment in a modern agricultural zone on the outskirts of Shanghai near the East China Sea. The facility will cover about 140 hectares and is expected to be completed within three years.

China's farming experts hope the experiment can be a role model for China's farming community in enhancing crop production, reducing required outlay and discarding traditional farming methods.

Precision farming had its debut in the US in the 1980s and spread to a handful of developed countries like France and Japan during the early 1990s. The technique involves using high technology to maximize farming efficiency.

"It helps increase the crop yield, provide better management decisions, cuts chemical and fertilizer costs and diminishes pollution," said Yang Xingwei, an expert from the Shanghai Municipal Meteorological Bureau in charge of the project.

Unlike traditional farming, this advanced new method requires the division of a farming field into small units which are individually managed by computers.

Each section of a field is equipped with sensors to collect information on the soil, moisture and the growth of crops and then transmit the data to a global positioning system and geographic information system. After receiving the information from the satellites, experts analyse the data and decide the specific dose of fertilizer and pesticide for each unit.

"This will dramatically enhance the utility of fertilizers and pesticides," said Yang.

Currently, fertilizers and pesticides used in farming in China only secure an efficient utilization rate of between 20 to 30 per cent. With precision farming, the rate shoots up to around 60 per cent, said Yang.