Relying on the APEC cooperation platform, China's smart agricultural technology has traveled across the ocean to Chile. As the country with the longest and narrowest terrain in the world, Chile stretches 4,352 kilometers from north to south. The complex landform brings many challenges to farming. Drones from China can operate deep into mountainous areas without being restricted by muddy terrain, which to a certain extent solves the problems of high local agricultural production costs and labor shortages. Agricultural drones not only reshape the local traditional farming model, but also give birth to a new profession of "agricultural pilot", allowing the dividends of technological development to reach ordinary farmers directly, injecting pragmatic power into the common development of the Asia-Pacific.
Headquarters reporter Feng Li: I am now in the Buin area on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. I can see that on this farmland, drones designed in China are spraying pesticides. The drone can cover 20 hectares of farmland in an hour, while an ordinary worker driving a tractor can only spray 10 hectares in a full day. This is a concrete example of Chinese technology helping the digital transformation of Chilean agriculture under the APEC framework.
The Lewis family farm has been in operation for two generations and currently has 15 hectares of farmland. Louis told reporters that in his father's day, two horses were used on the farm. By the time he and his son Joaquín took over, the first tractor was purchased. In the past, spraying pesticides required two people, one person was responsible for dispensing the pesticide and guiding the application location, and the other person was responsible for driving the tractor and operating the mechanical equipment. About three years ago, Louis came across a farming drone video online that brought about dramatic changes to their farm.
Chilean farmer Luis Cam: Drones can save a lot of time. Time is very important and it also saves water. In addition, it is very dangerous to drive a tractor into the wind to spray pesticides, but a drone can do it by itself. Chinese technology is very important to agriculture, especially in Latin America. Chinese drones are not very expensive and have high cost performance.
This smart agricultural drone designed in China has functions such as intelligent mapping, efficient sowing, and precise spraying driven by artificial intelligence technology. It can provide strong support for farms to implement precise operations in pest control, sowing, fertilizing, and spraying pesticides. Lewis said that after using drones, the use of pesticides and water has been greatly reduced, costs have been reduced, and efficiency has been improved. The use of drones has also brought new business opportunities to the Lewises.
Chilean farmer Joaquín Cam: A neighbor asked us if we could spray pesticides on his wheat fields, and we added this business, which brought in extra income. Orders are placed almost every day, and customers keep calling as long as the weather permits. Now this is our main source of income.
In addition to exporting advanced agricultural drone equipment, Chinese agricultural robot companies also cooperate with Chilean partners to conduct local technical training and promote the application research and education popularization of advanced agricultural technology in Chile. As the top vocational college in Chile, Chile Doco Vocational College has 20 campuses with more than 100,000 students. In 2021, the college reached a strategic cooperation with a company to carry out training on China's drone automated spraying, fertilizing and sowing technology in the agriculture and forestry fields. Students who complete the training have the opportunity to obtain an aviation operation license issued by the Chilean Civil Aviation Administration and become a certified "agricultural pilot."
Felipe Vargas, a graduate of Chile's Doc Vocational College and an agricultural pilot: Thanks to China's drone technology, the course allowed me to master new skills and earn a stable income. It also allowed me to start a business, buy equipment, gain more customers, and break the income ceiling.
Abel Araya, a teacher at Doco Vocational College in Chile: The introduction of new technologies under the APEC framework can simplify the agricultural production process and make us more competitive in a world full of challenges and technological innovation.
Sofia Gonzalez, member of the Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development Committee of the Chilean House of Representatives: Combining Chinese knowledge with Chilean tradition and experience, as well as the technology, collaboration and cooperation provided by APEC, I believe we can greatly enhance the added value of Chilean products.
