China raises seven major tasks to develop smart agriculture

China has rolled out plans to develop smart agriculture by giving prominence to the completion of seven major tasks by 2028 in terms of precision planting, digitalized cultivation and intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.

Released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the plans include guidelines and action items that focus on significantly improving the application of smart agriculture. Key areas of emphasis include promoting precision planting of major grains, digitizing agricultural equipment, and enhancing intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.

"We have orchestrated a monitoring network consisting of remote satellites, drone surveillance and ground screening, enabling real-time and comprehensive monitoring of agricultural meteorology, soil moisture content, and environmental factors such as pests and diseases. This greatly improves our ability to monitor and forecast agricultural disasters," said Wang Yaozong, director of the Department of Market and Informatization at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

For the first time, the construction of public service capacity for smart agriculture has been proposed. To support this initiative, relevant authorities will build a big data platform for agriculture and rural affairs and develop a range of models and tools to promote the digital transformation of farmers and agricultural businesses at low costs.

In Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, a smart farm called Fuxi Farmland has been implemented in various cities across China.

Utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI), engineers can manage grain planting by controlling remote unmanned machines from a control center located 20 kilometers away, while accessing real-time information about crops through a large monitoring screen.

"The smart agricultural machines are equipped with various intelligent control systems. Following the pre-set routes, they can operate accurately according to our pathways, with support from the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, all initiated through an app on a mobile phone or smart terminal," said Bi Zhiqiang, an engineer at the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Besides serving sowing and planting links, smart equipment also enhances breeding efficiency by creating models based on big data to optimize processes. To date, Fuxi Farm has been established in several provinces, facilitated by the deepening integration of technologies such as the Internet of Things and AI with agriculture.

China raises seven major tasks to develop smart agriculture

China unveiled a large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships in the coastal city of Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Friday, marking a major leap forward for the country in the field of high-end vessel marine environmental protection equipment.

The wind-assisted propulsion system - rotating sail system (WAPS-RSS), is developed by Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

The system's rotor has diameter of 5 meters, is 35 meters high, and weighs 150 tons.

Experts say that the system can efficiently capture wind energy while the ship is sailing, providing additional thrust for the vessel.

On average, it can save fuel consumption by 5 to 25 percent for large ocean-going vessels, and lower carbon emissions accordingly.

It relies on the Magnus effect, which is much like a loop in table tennis, featuring a rapidly spinning sphere that causes the surrounding air to rotate. Pressure decreases on the side with faster airflow and increases on the side with slower airflow, creating a lateral pressure difference that generates lateral thrust.

"Standing on the deck, the powerful thrust generated by its rotation assists the ship's sailing. Our system - the world's largest rotary sail - reaches a maximum rotational speed of 180 revolutions per minute and can generate a maximum of 355 kilonewtons of thrust. Additionally, the system's intelligent control integrates multiple sensors to detect real-time wind and ship conditions. Through smart algorithms, it automatically adjusts to maintain optimal performance at all times, maximizing the utilization of wind energy," said Guo Yu, vice president of SunRui Marine Environment Engineering Company Limited under Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute.

Not only does the system's performance meet international advanced standards, but the project team has also overcome a series of engineering challenges, including the fabrication of giant composite structures, complex system integration, and intelligent coordinated control.

Compared with mainstream international technological approaches, it offers greater production efficiency and cost advantages.

Currently, the system has secured its first batch of orders and will complete actual vessel applications as scheduled.

China unveils large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships