China's agricultural drones help Mexico develop agriculture

"Now women can fly drones to do farm work." Joceline Mireles, 27, who expertly operates a Chinese-brand agricultural drone near the city of La Pieda in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, proudly told reporters. Mireles is located in a traditional agricultural area of Mexico. Mireles uses a DJI T30 drone to sprinkle pesticides on crops such as corn, wheat and strawberries. With the help of Chinese technology, she became the first local professional female pilot to hold a flight license through self-study and professional training. Agave is one of the common crops in the area, the blade shaped leaves are wide and thick, the tip of the blade with sharp thorns, looking strong. Tequila is a key ingredient in Mexican tequila, a testament to thousands of years of Native American farming adapted to arid conditions. Local Eduardo Bribesca and his family grow tequila. Two years ago, he bought a Chinese-made agricultural drone and sprayed herbicides on hectares of agave farmland, making the process fast and efficient. He calculated to the reporter that in the past, the weeding work per hectare of land required five people to work continuously for about one hour to complete, while the use of drones to spray herbicides only took 10 minutes. As global climate anomalies increase, drought and water stress are particularly acute in the region. Therefore, the development of precision agriculture is crucial for the local agave growing industry. Bribeska said that although agave can adapt to dry conditions, people who grow the crop in large quantities still need to optimize water allocation when applying pesticides and fertilizers. In terms of water use, agricultural drones are more efficient than traditional manual labor, both helping to distribute the entire field rationally and improving the overall cover of individual plants. A UAV "from the point and the surface" to build an intelligent data network for local precision agriculture. Erivito Lopez, director of the Agricultural Development Zone in La Pieda City, told reporters that agricultural drones help the government and farmers better understand the growth of crops, monitoring the amount of crops per unit area, the effectiveness of fertilizers and the status of pests and diseases. For example, the data shows that the best time of day to water is early in the morning, when the weather is cool and the wind is less, the plants lose less water and absorb it more easily, reducing the projected water use by two-thirds. In addition, the Chinese-made agricultural drones can analyze the differences in crop growth using multi-spectral and visible light technologies, and timely find and solve potential problems, which will help Mexico develop modern agriculture based on intensive farming. Dong Yefei, business representative of DJI Agriculture in Mexico, said that since the company's agricultural drones entered the Mexican market in 2021, they have been widely used in the country's corn, wheat, barley, vegetable and fruit fields and other agricultural scenes. At present, there are about 1,600 certified pilots in Mexico. China's agricultural UAV has the technical characteristics of digitalization, intelligence and precision, as well as the service advantages of integrating training, maintenance and sales, effectively reducing production costs and helping Mexico's agricultural production increase and income. Ignacio Martinez, an international expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, believes that the application of agricultural drones and other equipment can help better understand the terrain and identify dry areas and agricultural safety zones. Technology from China promotes the sustainable management of natural resources and promotes the development of a green economy. Bribeska expects that with the continuous innovation and promotion of China's agricultural machinery technology, farmers in Mexico and other countries can benefit more.