Smart system powers plateau farming in Lhasa, SW China's Xizang

Photo shows a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)

At a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, an intelligent management system serves as the "smart brain" of plateau farming.

By precisely regulating greenhouse lighting, temperature, and water and nutrient delivery, the system enables crops such as strawberries and cherry tomatoes to thrive in what would otherwise be a harsh environment. The park's aquaponics system, operating under intelligent management, has achieved what once seemed impossible at this altitude — fish are raised without water changes, and vegetables grow without chemical fertilizers — cutting water consumption by as much as 90 percent and pointing to a greener and more efficient future for local agriculture.

The shift from traditional farming to smart management has delivered tangible results: 38 varieties of specialty fruits and vegetables have been successfully cultivated at the park. More significantly, through a model linking the park, enterprises, and farmers, smart agriculture has become a powerful engine for rural revitalization, helping more than 4,700 villagers secure jobs closer to home and increase their incomes.

A technician adjusts an intelligent control system inside a greenhouse at a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)

Photo shows strawberries grown using a vertical hanging cultivation method at a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)

Photo shows a hydroponic greenhouse at a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)

Growers check on the growth of melon plants at a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)

Photo shows melons inside a greenhouse at a modern agricultural demonstration park in Maizhokunggar county, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)