College students in Luoyang, Henan, take on smart agriculture
Early in the morning, Wu Di, recipient of the 20th "Henan Youth May Fourth Medal," was busy working at the Lohas Nature Park in Shizhangzhuang Village, Jiangzuo Town, Luoyang City.
As general manager of the Lohas Nature Park chain farms, Wu Di manages 500 mu of orchards with his mobile phone every day. He is very proud of his identity as a "new-type farmer": "The Internet and high technology, the introduction of these innovative factors has made traditional agricultural management efficient and orderly."
Wu Di said he first had the idea of starting a business while he was in university. After graduating in 2009, he decided to return to his hometown of Luoyang to look for opportunities. "Once, I ate a particularly sweet watermelon, and I heard that this kind of watermelon sells at a high price, has large sales, and is in short supply. Seeing that quality agricultural products had such a good market, I decided to give it a try." After finding the right direction, Wu Di and his classmate Zhang Yang set out on the road to entrepreneurship with 100,000 yuan they had saved up.
In the first two years, due to a lack of technology and experience, problems kept arising in both the cultivation and sales of the watermelons. Wu Di not only lost all his "assets" but also ended up 800,000 yuan in debt. "Under the circumstances at the time, if I gave up the business, I would have to work for someone else and slowly pay off the debt. After discussing it with Zhang Yang, we decided to stake everything on one battle." After readjusting the division of labor, in 2012, high-quality watermelons from 40 greenhouses sold for nearly 2 million yuan, and Wu Di successfully made a comeback.
Having had a first taste of success, Wu Di did not stop there. In 2013, Wu Di expanded the park area to 500 mu and introduced high-quality yellow pear and pomegranate varieties, founded "Lohas Nature Park chain farms," and combined online sales with offline experiences. At the same time, by using the "Smart Agriculture 4.0" system to carry out production management and data analysis through the Internet, standardized operating procedures were guaranteed.
"In the era of 'Internet + agriculture,' leading farmers out of poverty and toward prosperity through e-commerce is the responsibility of our 'post-80s' generation." Wu Di said that the next step for the farm will be to form assistance partnerships with poor households and help more people in difficulty escape poverty and move toward a moderately prosperous life.