When 29-year-old Xu Dan swapped a PhD program in the Netherlands for a tomato greenhouse in Beijing’s Miyun District, skeptics called it a risky gamble. Four years later, his tech-driven agricultural venture is serving up juicy success stories – both for China’s food security and rural communities.
The Codebreakers of Agriculture
Xu’s 10,000-square-meter glass greenhouse uses IoT sensors and AI-powered climate controls to grow premium tomatoes year-round. 'We track 27 environmental parameters daily – from soil pH to light intensity,' Xu explains. The result? A 300% yield increase compared to traditional farms, with 90% less pesticide use.
Seeding Social Impact
Beyond tomatoes, the project has created 120 agri-tech jobs across three villages, with 68% of workers being former farmers retrained as 'smart agriculture technicians.' Local resident Wang Li, 42, shares: 'I now operate drones for crop monitoring – skills I never imagined having.'
Youth Roots in Rural Revival
Xu’s team has grown to 35 members, 80% under 35. Recent recruit Liu Mei, a 26-year-old data analyst, says: 'This isn’t just farming – we’re solving food security through innovation.' The model has inspired similar projects in Shandong and Zhejiang provinces.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
