China advances automated, digitalized agriculture with AI

By using big data and AI technology, China is advancing digitalized and automated agriculture to bring the most cutting-edge technologies down to earth and benefit farmers.

Researchers across the country have been experimenting with autonomous robots and AI-driven large-scale models to transform farms into precise and sustainable technology hubs.

In a laboratory in Beijing, researchers have installed multiple sensors and advanced machinery to develop unmanned farming practices that can reduce costs and increase yields for farmers.

"This is a tomato lab. We installed multiple sensors to track the growth data across the plant's life cycle. The future of facility farming is fully automated and intelligent. Plants cannot speak, so we need a precise model to decode their exact needs, like nutrient formulas, light intensity, water-fertilizer ratios, temperature, and carbon dioxide. Only with the accurate model can we truly achieve autonomous control," said Wei Lingling, Director of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair's Key Laboratory of Leisure Agriculture.

The lab has already developed a remote-control system, which is now being tested in farms across China.

"With this system, we can manage not only local farms, but also remote farms in multiple regions, including Kunshan and Nantong in Jiangsu, Ningbo in Zhejiang, and surrounding areas of Hebei," said Wei.

Another landmark move in smart agriculture is an AI-powered online farming system Xiongxiaonong, which literally means "little farmhand from Xiong'An New Area" in north China's Hebei Province, where the system is being used.

Jointly developed by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Xiong'an New Area and the telecommunication and information technology giant China Telecom, Xiongxiaonong is China's first agriculture-focused large AI model powered by DeepSeek.

"Xiongxiaonong now offers services from agricultural question and answer services and planting decisions to production management and market analysis, providing a full digital service loop. Unlike general AI models, we have tailored this system to Xiong'an's agriculture specialty industries like sweet potatoes, wheat, and tomatoes, building a three-tier knowledge base covering government, businesses, and research institutes. The Xiongxiaonong system bridges data from lab research to real-world farming," said Yang Yi, Deputy Director of the Rural Revitalization Research Institute of China Telecom.

Just one month since its launch, the system has already brought economic benefits to farmers in Xiong'an.

"Last month, the Yangque Lake Xili Agricultural Park in Xiong'an used Xiongxiaonong's price-predicting capabilities to optimize growing conditions and strategically harvested the tomatoes earlier for the market, boosting farmer incomes by nearly 3,000 yuan (about 420 in U.S. dollars) per mu (one-fifteenth hectare)," said Yang.

Scientists have even bigger ambitions, aiming to diagnose crop diseases using a pair of AI-powered glasses. The futuristic invention is only two to three years away from widespread usage, according to an expert.

"Smart agriculture is to have machines work the fields and smart systems optimize decisions on the basis of data. For example, there are plenty of wheat diseases. Before, agricultural technicians had to painstakingly examine every inch of each plant, from bottom to top. If we have a pair of AI glasses, the photos can be transmitted back to us and matched against thousands of images in our database, making disease identification immediately clear," said Xu Shiwei, research fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Information under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

China advances automated, digitalized agriculture with AI

China advances automated, digitalized agriculture with AI

The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing serious concern about and firm opposition to the U.S. unilateral military operations in Venezuela.

The U.S. actions contravene fundamental principles of international law, particularly the prohibition on the use or threat of force, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as enshrined in the UN Charter, constituting an extremely dangerous precedent against peace and regional security, according to the statement.

In expressing profound concern and firm rejection, the six countries stressed in the statement that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, and through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law.

Only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity, according to the statement.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the U.S. raid in Venezuela as a violation of international law, adding that the Spanish government always advocates and defends international law and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Addressing a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez demanded the unconditional and immediate release of Maduro and his wife.

Noting that Latin America and the Caribbean are a zone of peace, he expressed his firm opposition to the use of force, which is an unshakable principle.

Any aggression against Venezuela shall be regarded as an attack against all CELAC member states, and nations must collectively oppose it, he stressed.

The South African government denounced the U.S. attack on Venezuela as a violation of international law, according to a statement released on Sunday.

History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis, the statement said.

South Africa calls on the UN Security Council to urgently convene a session to address this situation, according to the statement.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said what happened in Venezuela demonstrates that international law and the UN Charter are losing their practical effectiveness.

U.S. military action against Venezuela marks a dangerous precedent, as similar actions could be taken against any other nations, he said.

In addition, the foreign ministries of Namibia, Singapore, Oman and Pakistan also issued statements on the same day, expressing grave concern over U.S. interference in Venezuela's internal affairs.

They emphasized the need to uphold international law and the principles of the UN Charter while respecting Venezuela's sovereignty.

They also called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve the crisis through peaceful dialogue.

U.S. move against Venezuela sparks condemnation, concerns worldwide