Smart agriculture lets a tough girl carve out a road to prosperity
Looking at the freshly picked saffron crocus, Lyu Xiaofang's face lit up with joy.
"I don't want to waste my life; I want to strive hard while I'm young." Over the past two years, this belief has driven Lyu Xiaofang to establish the Jinyun County Diyuan Family Farm, register IoT software, apply for a utility model patent for a saffron crocus hydroponic device, and invest in improving the farm's hardware facilities... Step by step, Lyu Xiaofang has embarked on the path of smart agriculture entrepreneurship, and was even hired by Lishui Vocational and Technical College as an entrepreneurship mentor for students.
A chance encounter with saffron crocus led her to find her entrepreneurial direction
Lyu Xiaofang, 32 this year, graduated from China University of Geosciences in Wuhan. After graduation, she ran a repair shop, did small business, and worked as a substitute English teacher, yet never found her goal in life.
In 2013, by chance, Lyu Xiaofang learned from Professor Lyu Weide of Hangzhou Vocational and Technical College that saffron crocus is a rare and scarce medicinal herb variety, with effects of dredging meridians and activating collaterals, promoting menstruation and resolving blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain, cooling blood and detoxifying, and relieving anxiety and depression. It is also a medicinal and edible plant and a high-grade spice. Zhejiang has a history of growing saffron crocus for more than 30 years, and its planting area and output rank first in the country, yet it accounts for only 2% of the world's saffron crocus. Lyu Xiaofang immediately developed an interest in growing saffron crocus. So she resolutely followed Professor Lyu to conduct experimental research on how to grow saffron crocus in Fuyang, Jiande and other places.
In June 2014, under Professor Lyu's guidance, Lyu Xiaofang boldly invested more than 60,000 yuan, purchased more than 2,000 jin of selected saffron crocus bulbs from other places, and developed 3 mu of saffron crocus, officially launching her entrepreneurial journey.
A petite woman can also be a "tough girl"
Lyu Xiaofang told reporters that everything is difficult at the beginning. At the start of her business, she lacked funds, space, experience and manpower. The only thing she didn't lack was her fighting spirit and persistence. To save money, she and her sister went up the mountain to cut trees and carry firewood, came home to build shelves with her mother for placing saffron crocus bulbs, planted bulbs in the fields and carried them back indoors to wait for sprouting and flowering. Lyu Xiaofang did everything herself. "I never imagined I had a tough-girl side to me," said Lyu Xiaofang, a petite and delicate girl, both proud and full of confidence.
The first time she formally planted saffron crocus, Lyu Xiaofang was extra careful. When did saffron crocus first sprout? When did it first bloom? What should be noted in field management? She managed the saffron crocus like caring for a child, carefully observing its growth and keeping records every day.
Her hard work finally paid off. The saffron crocus Lyu Xiaofang grew for the first time met high-quality requirements in terms of the length of the stigmas, the thickness of the styles, and the vividness of the color, with each kilogram of stigmas selling for as much as 35,000 yuan.
"Smart agriculture" makes cultivation very high-end
Saffron crocus is suitable for crop rotation, prefers sandy soil, requires good drainage, and both temperature and humidity must be strictly controlled. Growing such a precious plant, Lyu Xiaofang did not dare relax for a moment. However, once, after returning from an inspection trip, she was stuck in traffic and could not get back to the farm in time. Unable to adjust the temperature and humidity in time, Lyu Xiaofang was very anxious. From then on, Lyu Xiaofang began to seriously study "smart agriculture." In early 2015, she boldly invested 180,000 yuan and purchased advanced equipment integrating IoT, computer and other information technologies. Using the IoT and wireless networks, Lyu Xiaofang connected to an automatic greenhouse control system, a water-saving irrigation system, a video surveillance system, a weather station and others, enabling remote monitoring and management, while also collecting data on saffron crocus growth and production to build a database.
Lyu Xiaofang explained: "Relying on these modern information technologies, I can sit in front of the computer and click the mouse, or operate my phone, and manage things remotely even when traveling on business, meeting the needs of saving time and effort while also being professional."
There is a long road ahead for saffron crocus planting and management to move toward smart agriculture, and there is also great room for extending the product chain. Lyu Xiaofang said she wants to use the farm's existing resources and characteristics to continuously develop the added value of saffron crocus and do a thorough job in deep processing, such as saffron crocus soil noodles, saffron crocus banquets, saffron crocus wine, saffron crocus handmade soap, etc., taking every step carefully and calmly responding to market risks.
"Agricultural innovation entrepreneur" promoted to "entrepreneurship mentor"
In October this year, at the provincial college student "agricultural innovation entrepreneur" review site, Lyu Xiaofang was in Hangzhou. She took out her phone and tapped the screen, and adjusted the temperature and humidity for the saffron crocus greenhouse at her family farm far away in Jinyun County, while also collecting data on saffron crocus growth and production and building a database. Her "smart agriculture" earned the judges' comment that "saffron crocus cultivation is very high-end," and she was selected as one of the province's first top ten college student "agricultural innovation entrepreneurs."
At the same time, Lyu Xiaofang's social recognition has also risen along with the development of her farm. On November 2, she was invited to Lishui Vocational and Technical College to lecture to college students in the college's family farm innovation and entrepreneurship class, and was hired as an entrepreneurship mentor for students. Lyu Xiaofang unreservedly shared her entrepreneurial experience of a "family farm based on IoT technology" and offered reasonable suggestions for college students about to leave campus and start their own businesses.
This year, Lyu Xiaofang's saffron crocus planting area is nearly 20 mu, with stigma revenue alone reaching more than 100,000 yuan. "Next, I will increase investment to improve the farm's hardware facilities and continue to perfect the IoT platform. Next year I will focus on saffron crocus planting techniques, improve efficiency, and use 'smart agriculture' to drive nearby farmers to prosper together!" Lyu Xiaofang said with full confidence.