The article highlights how drones and Internet of Things (IoT) technology are revolutionising agriculture in China.Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs) are being used extensively to optimise farming processes, with drones sowing rice seeds in just 30 minutes across 300 mu (20 hectares) of farmland.

IoT devices like soil sensors, weather stations, and smart cameras collect data every 15 minutes, feeding into a 'farm brain' system that enables fully unmanned cultivation.

XAG, a leading agritech robot maker, reports that one drone can manage 500 mu of land, reducing water and electricity costs by 47%, cutting pesticide use by 30%, and improving fertiliser efficiency by 40%.

A smart cotton farm in Xinjiang, managed entirely by drones, achieved an average yield of 529 kg of seed cotton per mu in 2024, with over 96% premium cotton.

The technology has attracted young professionals and returning graduates to rural areas, with XAG training over 140,000 smart agriculture professionals.The company's agricultural robots are now deployed in 70 countries, ranking second globally in drone and robotics sales.This shift from experience-driven farming to data-driven precision agriculture is reshaping the agricultural sector in China.