Drones carry out plant protection operations at a wheat planting base in Xiayi county, Central China's Henan Province, on March 13, 2025. Photo: VCG

With temperatures rising across China, farmers have launched the spring plowing season, an essential part of the country's agricultural calendar. From the vast wheat fields in Central China's Henan Province to the rice paddies in provinces including Central China's Hunan and East China's Jiangxi, farmers are working hard to secure a successful harvest, supported by local government initiatives.

A villager drives a tractor during a traditional spring plowing ceremony in Xierong village, Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, on March 15, 2025. Photo: VCG

Spring plowing, known as chun geng in Chinese, is a pivotal period in China's agricultural calendar as it sets the foundation for the year's grain production. In addition to farmers' efforts, government departments at all levels have rolled out support measures, including machinery subsidies, upgraded seed varieties, and enhanced irrigation systems.

A farmer manages greenhouse vegetables using a "modern agricultural remote control system" app on her smartphone in Dayang village in East China's Shandong Province, on March 13, 2025. Photo: VCG

In the North China Plain, where wheat dominates, farmers have been busy applying fertilizers and preparing the soil for planting. Meanwhile, in southern provinces, rice farmers are transplanting seedlings into waterlogged paddies.

In the recently released "No. 1 Central Document" for 2025, Chinese authorities have identified the development of "new quality productive forces in agriculture" as a top priority for the first time. It emphasizes boosting smart agriculture and expanding technologies such as AI, big data, and low-altitude systems, Xinhua reported.

A farmer organizes agricultural machinery in preparation for farming activities in Yueqing, East China's Zhejiang Province, on March 19, 2025. Photo: IC

Across China's farmlands, high-tech tools, from drones monitoring crops to automated irrigation systems, are becoming a common sight, enhancing food security and driving rural revitalization.

One example is Henan's "Central-China Agricultural Valley" project. Equipped with monitoring stations and satellites, the project collects and analyzes data to advance seed breeding, smart agriculture, and high-quality farmland cultivation, Xinhua reported.

Feeding a population of 1.4 billion, China's grain output reached a record high of 706.5 million tons in 2024, marking the first time the country has achieved a grain harvest exceeding 700 million tons. The country saw technological input account for over 60 percent of agricultural growth in 2023, up 10 percentage points from 2012, Xinhua reported.

"China is holding firmly onto its 'rice bowl,' and behind this, agricultural technology is playing an increasingly important role," Song Lili, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Xinhua. "With limited arable land, innovation has become key to ensuring stable, high-yield grain production," she noted.

Young volunteers help villagers transport corn seedlings in Qianxi, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, on March 21, 2025. Photo: VCG

Intelligent boom sprayer is used on wheat fields in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu Province, on March 19, 2025. Photo: IC

Sowing the future