From soil to data: How technology is powering China’s agricultural modernization

Senior agronomist Yan Ji checks the growth of vegetables at the center for future agricultural science and technology of an agricultural demonstration zone in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Feb. 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

What will the farms of the future look like?

In the fields, drones sweep across the sky in steady formation. Inside greenhouses, inspection robots glide quietly along the rows, their sensors scanning leaves and stems for signs of disease. Beneath the soil, digital probes monitor moisture and nutrients, transmitting data in real time.

In a nearby control room, giant screens flicker with numbers — temperature, humidity, soil moisture and sunlight. Algorithms analyze the data and instantly send commands through 5G networks, activating irrigation systems and fertilization equipment across the farm.

What once sounded like science fiction is already unfolding in Tianjiaying village in Nanzhang county, Xiangyang city, central China's Hubei Province.

A staff member maintains the autonomous seeding intelligent system at Youyi Farm Co., Ltd. under Beidahuang Group in Shuangyashan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, March 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

At the village's smart agriculture industrial park, 82 greenhouses operate under a digital management system that connects climate control, irrigation and monitoring technologies into one integrated platform. Farmers can adjust ventilation, irrigation and fertilization through their mobile phones while automated machinery handles much of the field work.

"With this system, one person can remotely manage dozens of greenhouses, significantly reducing labor costs while increasing yields by more than 50 percent," said Su Wei, director of the Innovation Center at the Tianjiaying Base of Jinmeikelin (Hubei) Technology Co., Ltd.

The transformation unfolding in Tianjiaying is part of a broader shift taking place across China, where digital technologies are rapidly reshaping agriculture.

At a modern fishery industrial park in Huazhou district, Weinan city, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, recirculating aquaculture systems continuously monitor water quality while automated feeders precisely control feeding. In Xiong’an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, tomatoes grow in neatly arranged greenhouses using soilless cultivation and controlled environments that reduce pests and ensure food safety. Thousands of kilometers away in Aksu prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, powerful seeders equipped with China's BeiDou satellite navigation system move methodically across vast cotton fields. In a single pass, the machines sow seeds, lay drip irrigation pipes and cover the soil with plastic mulch, completing in minutes what once required hours of manual work.

The growth of such technologies is fueling a rapidly expanding industry. Data show that China's smart agriculture market has grown from 38.8 billion yuan ($5.63 billion) in 2017 to around 100 billion yuan in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of about 15 percent.

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 24, 2026 shows a farmer operating an agricultural machine to plough a field in Qicheng Village, Qinyang City, central China's Henan Province. After the Spring Festival holiday, farmers are busy with agricultural production in the farming season across the country. (Photo by Yang Fan/Xinhua)

During this year's "two sessions," policymakers and experts have highlighted smart agriculture as a key driver of agricultural modernization.

"In recent years, China's smart agriculture, supported by national pilot programs and expanded across multiple regions, has made significant progress in technology, digital platforms and innovative models," said Nie Shoujun, a deputy to the National People's Congress.

Beyond boosting productivity, the technology is also bringing tangible benefits to rural communities.

The smart agriculture park in Nanzhang has benefited local communities by involving more than 300 households in modern farming. With higher yields, diversified crops and stable sales channels, farmers are earning more while working closer to home.

Inside one of the warm greenhouses, 60-year-old villager Yang Shuhui moves steadily along the rows, picking ripe tomatoes and placing them into a basket.

"It's comfortable to work here, and I can earn 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month close to home," she said.

Similar stories are unfolding elsewhere.

GEAIR, a hybrid pollination robot, conducts pollination work at a greenhouse in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 29, 2024. (IGDB of the CAS/Handout via Xinhua)

In Wan'an village of Jintang county in southwest China's Sichuan Province, fragmented farmland has been consolidated into larger plots managed by a cooperative that uses agricultural machinery and drones. The shift has dramatically improved efficiency, helping raise the village's collective income from just 3,000 yuan a year to more than 4 million yuan in 2024.

As digital technologies continue to reshape traditional agriculture, the once futuristic vision of smart farming is steadily becoming part of everyday rural life across China.

"Smart agriculture represents a key form of new quality productive forces in the agricultural sector and is an inevitable trend in the development of modern agriculture," said Cao Weixing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. "It plays a vital role in improving overall agricultural efficiency and enhancing core competitiveness."

A technician checks the growth of seedlings at an intelligent seedling nursery base in Shuangxing Village of Yongchuan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, March 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)