With a simple click on a smartphone, you can cultivate high-quality aquatic products, keep track of a pig farm, or monitor a camel’s weight.
Since the advent of 5G technology, China Mobile has been expanding its application of 5G+ smart farm based on the development needs of the distinctive local industries, helping the farming industry embark on a ‘fast-tracked’ journey to digitization.
Camels wearing 5G collars, Chinese Hu sheep tuning in on 5G ‘headphones’, bees buzzing amid 5G clouds, fish swimming in a 5G smart fishery. Let’s jump right in and explore more on the farm!
Camels wearing 5G collars
In Jimunai County, Xinjiang, in the remote northwest of China, ‘Wantuo Garden’ (a place with many camels) is home to hundreds of female camels that are ‘cash cows’ for local herders. This population of Altai camels accounts for one-third of all camels in China.
To help establish smart camel farming, China Mobile achieved full mobile network coverage for the Wantuo Garden area and helped camel herders install customized 5G smart collars on camels.
The 5G collar performs multiple functions with just one click, including livestock tracking, motion detecting, breeding conditions observation, breed yielding, fence alarm and health monitoring.
The device can detect camel’s body temperature change before it leads to major illnesses. The collar sends real-time data back to platform to let herders check each camel’s condition.
Meanwhile, by harnessing 5G technology, it can keep track of the camel’s weight and achieve precision feeding for livestock farming standardization.
“We used to rely on word of mouth to learn information about livestock farming, which was quite passive and reactive. But now, we search things online and gain all knowledge we need for farming,” a local herdsman said.
Chinese Hu sheep puts on 5G ‘headphones’
In the village of Zhengbei in Heilongjiang in northeast China, sheep are wearing yellow ‘headphones’ – ear tags specifically made for Hu flock by China Mobile. The tags are fitted to smart chips to collect all sorts of farming information.
The Hu sheep breeding projects is just one of the agricultural projects supported by China Mobile, occupying 30,000m2 area with 800 Hu sheep in stock. It cost a total of RMB4.6 million, of which China Mobile invested RMB1.6 million, to create job opportunities for local people.
With 5G network coverage and gigabit broadband, China Mobile has built a cloud ranch housekeeper with real-time big data display system for the Hu sheep farm – comprising a smart sheep management system for remote inspection, big data analysis and real-time monitoring of body temperatures and feeding sheep on the farm. Its main purpose is to spot problems early and solve them quickly.
Bees buzzing amid 5G Cloud platforms
Near the east coast, the beautiful city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang has a long history of beekeeping and is famous for its honey and bee products.
Working with the local beekeeping industry, China Mobile helped Tonglu create cloud platform system of 5G digitization management encompassing an integrated information platform, an online marketing service platform for bee products and production materials, and a service platform for beekeepers and the local bee industry.
The platform provides real-time, multi-dimensional information on nectar distribution, swarm and hive conditions, processing management and industrial tourism, while also supporting the product distribution chain and relevant tracking.
By using this 5G system, the Agricultural Department in Tonglu can obtain real-time industry information, offering agricultural public infrastructure such as industry data, farming guidance, and sales support. Beekeepers and related enterprises can easily work online, while “bee tourists” can learn about bee products and find tourism recommendations.
It is expected that the value of the bee industry in Tonglu will increase by 20% in 2022, while the production chain will be worth up to RMB1.2 billion.
Fish swim in 5G smart fishery
In coastal Jiangsu, an employee at Shuanggao Aquatic Technology Co., Ltd turns on his mobile phone, and see shoals of fish swimming and jumping happily in the breeding pond.
Using the digital aquatic software system on his phone, he checks the changes water quality, oxygen, pH value in the pond from time to time. “The entire process of breeding fish has become easier, from mobile remote control, feeding and oxygen raising. Manage the pond without leaving homes, we can cultivate high-quality aquatic products.”
This software is China Mobile’s 5G digital aquatic project , performing more than 10 functions: online water quality monitoring, smart control of equipment, video monitoring, climate tracking and water quality adjustments.
“We no longer need to deploy manpower for patrolling and giving oxygen injections 24-hours a day. With this system, we can reduce energy consumption by more than 20% each month and reduce patrol manpower by over 50%,” said a manager at the fish farm.
5G smart fisheries not only promote the advancement of villages in Jiangsu, they also help the industry in Shandong.
China Mobile created a smart farming solution by integrating cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technology based on the needs of a wild carp fish farm enterprise in Shaling Village. The solution easily achieves water temperature adjustments, pH values monitoring and automated feeding.
While shortening the breeding period, it also enhances the survival rate of the carp. The fish farm’s annual income is expected to rise by 40% as its annual production of Shandong’s famous wild carp, also known as Chilin fish, increases by 30%.
5G ‘electronic documents’ for pigs
China Mobile makes use of cloud computing and big data technology to construct a smart farming information integrated management platform, aiming to achieve greater visualization and digitize management of breeding while enhancing scientific pig farming.
Combining the video monitoring system of 209 pig farms and conducting geographic information system (GIS) mapping, the platform can carry out real-time monitoring on the entrances and exits of pig farms and manure treatment tanks.
Simultaneously, a scalable livestock farm can adopt the fundamental database and value reporting system to automatically report pig inventory, pig rotation, manure utilization and construction of manure treatment facilities. It can then achieve efficient smart collection and data transfer, while monitoring units can oversee the real-time analysis through big data system to enhance monitoring effectiveness and standards.
The digitalization of animal husbandry and farming could transform agricultural industries. China Mobile is always here for all our customers and will fully support initiatives to increase the prosperity of rural communities and enterprises!
