Spring Farming in Jingning, Gansu: A Fairytale Landscape of Vitality and Tech-Driven Agriculture

As spring breathes life across northwest China, the fields of Jingning County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, are abuzz with bustling agricultural activity, presenting a picturesque scene akin to a fairy tale when captured through a tilt-shift lens, according to Xinhua News Agency.

This year, Jingning has seized the critical spring farming window, rolling out robust measures to boost agricultural production. The county, renowned as China's premier apple cultivation base with over a million mu of orchards, has prioritized both grain field management and orchard upgrading. By late March, it completed topsoil mulching across 50,000 mu of farmland, laying a solid foundation for annual grain yields.

Technology is revolutionizing traditional farming practices. In the county's modern apple industrial parks, Beidou-enabled intelligent agricultural machinery navigates hilly terrains autonomously, conducting precise pest control and fertilization. IoT sensors monitor soil moisture and nutrient levels in real time, while water-fertilizer integration systems deliver targeted irrigation, transforming orchard management from labor-intensive to data-driven.

"We've replaced manual sprayers with drone-based plant protection, covering over 30,000 mu of orchards this spring," said Zhang Jianrong, deputy director of Jingning Agricultural Technology Extension Center. "Smart farming has cut labor costs by 60% and improved efficiency by 80% compared to traditional methods."

Jingning has intensified efforts to rejuvenate aging orchards. This spring, over 20,000 mu of old orchards were renovated, with high-quality varieties like 'Ruixue' planted. The county has established six standardized demonstration bases featuring dwarf, high-density planting, supported by complete irrigation and intelligent management systems.

Agricultural technicians have been deployed village-by-village, providing hands-on guidance. More than 800 technical sessions have been held, training over 12,000 farmers. The county has also secured sufficient agricultural supplies, with 18,000 tonnes of fertilizer and 3,200 tonnes of plastic film distributed to households.

"Through smart agriculture and standardized management, our apple quality has improved significantly, with premium fruit rates exceeding 85%," noted Tian Xuanbin, General Manager of Gansu Demei Diyuan Modern Agricultural Group. The industry now supports over 100,000 local jobs.

As spring farming progresses, Jingning's blend of technological innovation and characteristic agricultural development continues to drive rural revitalization, turning vast fields into productive landscapes of hope and prosperity.