China-UK fund boosts smart-farm industry

The current state of global food production is so full of contradictions it is hard to stomach. We produce more than enough food for every person on earth, yet hundreds of millions go hungry each day.

And cultivating the food we need to survive is a damaging process, with emissions and pollutants from agriculture threatening both the environment and human health.

Recognizing a necessity for more sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, China and the United Kingdom have initiated a new fund for smart-farming innovations.

Smart-farming describes cutting-edge technologies that support food production, including drones that spray plants, satellites that image crops－even robots that plant seeds and detect pests.

British innovation agency Innovate UK is committing 5 million pounds ($6.3 million) to the fund, and China's Ministry of Science and Technology will invest a similar amount.

The fund will distribute grants of up to 500,000 pounds to joint partnerships between Chinese and UK researchers that develop smart-farming techniques.

"World demand for food is expected to grow by 60 percent (by 2050) to feed a rising and more prosperous global population," Innovate UK said in a statement. "Food producers in the UK and China need to supply what we eat in a more sustainable and efficient way, reducing pollution, minimizing waste and improving soil conditions."

Innovate UK says participating projects must include one company and one research organization from each country, and must work with commercial end users. Applications for grants are open from now until mid-January.

The UK-China fund aligns with new policy measures released in a white paper by China's State Council Information Office on Monday. China plans on intensifying international collaborations to ensure global food security, the white paper stated.

Su Wei, deputy secretary-general of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said China hopes to see hunger "eradicated from the world as soon as possible".

According to the white paper, China accounts for one-fifth of the global population yet the country produces one quarter of the world's food.

The UK and China have already developed some of the most advanced technological solutions in the emerging smart-farming industry.

In 2017, researchers at the UK National Center for Precision Farming successfully completed a harvest using only robots.

The "Hands-Free Hectare" project saw a combination of automated tractors, drones, and on-the-ground robots plant, tend to, and harvest crops without anyone setting foot in the field.

British tech startups such as the Shadow Robot Company are developing new farming machines, including robots capable of picking and handling soft fruits and vegetables without damaging them.

In China, Guangzhou-based manufacturer XAG has designed agricultural drones that have already completed millions of fl ights to help farmers combat pests such as the fall armyworm that can devastate entire harvests.

In Jilin province, farmers are working with the company Chang Guang Satellite Technology on a new method of satellite-assisted crop imagery, which can swiftly deliver vital information on growth and yield over large areas.

And last year, the Chinese government started a seven-year automated agriculture pilot project in Xinghua, Jiangsu province. The project includes rice transplanters, pesticide applicators, fertilization equipment, and driverless tractors that are navigated via global positioning satellites.

Similar trials are expected to begin this year on farms near Chongqing and in Heilongjiang province.

Wang Xiaodong contributed to this story.