In early winter, the lush greenery of the Tongtianding Tea Garden in Leshui Village, Guiyi Town, Cenxi City, Guangxi, stands out. Here, IoT sensors operate quietly while drones autonomously patrol the skies—a vivid example of how technology is transforming traditional agriculture, supported by China’s central lottery public welfare fund for smart upgrades in Cenxi’s specialty industries.
This year, Cenxi City has leveraged digitalization and smart technologies to modernize its tea, cinnamon, and agricultural product distribution systems, creating a series of exemplary smart agriculture projects that inject new momentum into rural revitalization.
The Leshui Village Tongtianding Tea Garden project, with a total investment of 8 million yuan (including 4.5 million yuan from the central lottery fund), focuses on digitizing 1,000 acres of ecological tea plantations. It also includes new storage facilities for Liubao tea, research-oriented homestays, and supporting infrastructure. The garden now operates a comprehensive digital management system:
- Dozens of IoT sensors monitor over 20 key indicators, including soil salinity. - Multispectral drones conduct 2–3 weekly patrols to detect pests and nutrient deficiencies early. - Smart weather stations track wind speed, rainfall, and humidity, providing real-time farming alerts.
"Precision pesticide application has reduced annual spraying from 3–4 rounds to 1–2, boosting premium tea yield by 20% and per-acre output value by over 35%," said Chen Biao, the garden’s manager. For example, top-grade tea output rose from 15 kg to 18 kg per acre, generating an extra 2,400 yuan annually at 800 yuan/kg.
To combat winter frost, the garden employs AI-powered forecasting with 48-hour advance warnings, enabling targeted preventive measures.
In Jinzhu Town, renowned as "China’s Cinnamon Capital," over 75,000 acres yield 5,000+ tons of cinnamon bark yearly. However, outdated processing methods and low-value products hindered growth. With a 5-million-yuan investment (3.5 million yuan from the lottery fund), Cenxi launched an integrated cinnamon industry project:
- New machinery increased processing capacity from 500 to 2,000 tons annually, with efficiency tripling and premium product rates rising from 65% to 85%. - Value-added products like cinnamon tea (50–80 yuan/kg) and essential oil (2,000+ yuan/kg) are now under development. - A 2,000-cubic-meter cold storage and livestreaming sales (generating 3 million yuan this year) expanded market reach to the Greater Bay Area.
Meanwhile, the Daye Town Agricultural Trade Center, backed by a 5-million-yuan investment (3.5 million yuan from the fund), digitized its supply chain to tackle sales and pricing challenges. Its "online + offline" platform includes an exhibition zone and e-commerce livestreaming, supported by government liaisons for local product promotion.
From smart tea farms to digital trade hubs, Cenxi’s innovative approaches demonstrate how industrial智能化 can drive rural prosperity, offering replicable models for broader regional development.
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